Psychologists. The root of the world's problems.

I just realized what is wrong with the world. I have a co-worker who
always laments to me about her boys (one in particular) who always
mis-behaves. I have told her like 16 times to spank him. I'm not
talking to beat him with in and inch of his life or anything. I just
mean a little punishment so he knows for damn sure what he did was
wrong. She say that she does not spank her kids. She says "A
psychologist will tell you that you should not spank your children and
spanking is not a good way to punish them." I'm sitting here thinking
that well, my mother (occasionally) spanked me. She also took things
away as punishment. She never did time out, because if that existed
at that time, she a. had never heard of it b. would have been
considered some sort of freakish new-age-hippy way of raising your
kids and c. never needed any alternative methods because everything
she was doing was working pretty good for her.

I always get compliments on how well behaved Lexie and Logan are.
They are not Stepford Children—they misbehave. Mostly for me and only
when it's just me and them. They are good kids, they both have a want
to please and make other people happy. They know beyond a shadow of a
doubt that I worship them, and think of them foremost above and beyond
anything else in the world. They know that I think they are very
intelligent, and beautiful. They know that I am proud to have them as
children. I have always given them the respect and consideration I
would an adult. I always explain things to them though sometimes the
explanation might not lay bare the wonders of the universe. Yes,
sometimes, it's "because I said so."

But, I will admit it to anyone. Occasionally, they get a spanking.
Not a wooden-paddle beating. Not a switch off of a tree. Just the
hand. My mother always said the reason is that if it hurts your hand,
you know how much it hurts them—and you would never hit a child hard
enough to bruise your hand—a built-in safety mechanism. I usually
save it for something they have been told about and punished for a
couple times. It is a last-resort to cement the negative in their
little heads. Now, I'm not saying they're perfect. Of course
not—they're just kids! But you put mine up against some other kids
whose parents do not believe in spanking…I bet an independent study
might show that 9 out of 10 people would prefer to spend time around
my two ankle-biters as opposed to the non-spanking parent's kids.

Psychologists need to seriously re-think the "non-spanking" advice and
stay with the "whatever works for your individual child" advice.