Growing up in East Tennessee as the son of a father born in 1936, suffice it to say I got my rear-end blistered when I disobeyed or acted up.
I've been spanked with about every object known to mankind (switches, belts, hands, books and a crazy experience with a wooden spoon).
Although this is fairly extreme for most, I turned out to be pretty normal and didn't resent my parents for "disciplining" me in this way. I always knew they loved me...and I always loved them.
As a father of two small boys, I'm not wanting to discipline them in the same way. I do believe in "spanking" but think there is a right time (and a right way) to do it.
We have an 18 month old who is testing us in about every way possible. We really haven't spanked him when he starts to throw a fit, smacks us or hits his baby brother. We've just said, "NO-NO" and that is about it. We've tried "time-out" but that seems a little weird as well.
How do you discipline an 18 month old? He's so little and cute (as you can see), we can't imagine spanking him. However, I don't want to set a precedent that he can get away with whatever he wants.
Thoughts?
