Parenting and Spanking

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When I was growing up it was not unusual to hear or even see other children get spanked. Though I felt sorry for them to some degree it was also a bit of a show and in a sense entertaining. Parents and teachers I think did it as a deterrent to others and back when I was raised there was very little if any "political correctness" when it came to spanking. It is rare now to see a child spanked. Kids are usually spanked in the privacy of their homes and there is no more corporal punishment in the schools in Canada. Occasionally however it does happen and as I live on the beach and though it is rare, I will see a parent give the occasional slap over the bathing suite. My nephews spank rarely their own children and the friends I have who have young children seem to do it when I am not there. However there always seems to be the threat there and occasionally I do hear children get a warning if they don't behave they will get a spanking. Actually it has been awhile since I have seen a real spanking administered in my presence other than the odd slap or a birthday spanking though I have given a few myself not that long ago. I guess it is all a sign of the times!
When I was very much younger, I remember getting chased home by a switch (well, by my mother, but she was wielding a switch). I also remember times when I got outside and was given the old 'arm-held swats' before being marched inside, often for a more attentive spanking.

With my own kids, I usually try to handle things in privacy, but there are exceptions. There was a case of bullying by one of my... my cousin's older son (which makes him also my cousin, I guess), which ended with him getting spanked in front of most of my younger kids. There was another time when my (then) next youngest, in a fit of jealousy, attempted teddy bear-icide, and he got spanked in front of the teddy bear's partner, as well as the other boys who thought an actual murder was occurring, based on the amount of screaming. And some punishments for illegal or extremely dangerous acts occur in the living room.

Basically, if you're outside the family, you're not going to see me spank someone. If you're part of our (extended) family, it's not common, but it's not rare either. And if you're one of my boys, or one of my unofficial nephews, and you earn a sore rear with a partner in crime, you'll get to watch one, but I doubt you'll enjoy it much.
I remember in kindergarten that there was one boy that was routinely spanked during nap time (and what a great concept... nap time...) by the teacher and her yardstick. This was likely not very conducive to napping - either for the spankee or for those of us watching. It was also not uncommon to see or usually hear a spanking that was taking place nearby. I recall as a child that many of us, well boys anyway, had something of a morbid fascination in seeing or hearing another kids get spanked. It was extremely rare that these were the more formal bare bottom kind of spanking but I can remember a time or two.

These days it is very rare to see of hear this but not uncommon in my area to hear it threatened. Not long ago, I had taken my mentee to a science museum in the city nearest where we live. While we were there, we heard a young mother exclaim to her 5 or 6 year old son that if he didn't start doing X right now that she would take him out of here and give him a bare bottom spanking so fast that his head would spin. My mentee looked at me with a sort of grin but also that "yikes" look.

For me, I spank in private unless there are others that are also being spanked.
I grew up in a close knit neighborhood where all of us played in the street outside our houses. It was not uncommon to see a parent come out into the street, brandishing an implement, like a switch, a belt or a wooden spoon. The parent would grab a protesting child and literally spank them into the house. It was generally understood that the public spanking was simply an embarrassing preliminary to the main event, which took place inside the house. For those of us kids who were not on the receiving end, this was all immensely entertaining. But all of us at one time or another were on the receiving end, including myself, and to this day I cannot imagine a sight more terrifying than my stepfather coming at me with a belt when I was outside, surrounded by all my watching friends. In a culture where everyone knew everyone else's business anyway, and in which parental authority was unquestioned and spanking was taken for granted, no one gave these sorts of performances a second thought. Neighborhoods back then functioned like virtually autonomous entities, and the idea that any outsider had the right to comment on what when on inside them would have been considered outrageous. And despite the extreme discomfort to which my backside was regularly exposed, I am so glad I grew up then and not now.
We generally spank in private, though there have been some occasions where during sleepovers we have had to spank two children, usually of the same gender, who are supposed to be sleeping but are instead up fooling around. I never witnessed a spanking in childhood, except for my brothers and that was only when we were spanked together. In my adult life I have never seen a spanking given unless I am the one giving it. My wife and I spank privately, so even when she is giving the spanking I don't see it, though I do hear it.
To me it all depends on context and what relationships there are among the people involved. For example when I was about seven my male cousin and I were once spanked together by my uncle for being co-conspirators in bold face lies about our behavior. It wouldn't be my choice to spank two kids together but then again we were more upset by being spanked than whether we witnessed each other getting it. There was a close relationship between us and my uncle didn't bat an eye. And we were guilty of the same crime that we did together.

As a rule I would not spank a child in front of other children or in front of other adults though with the rare exception maybe for two kids the same age who are both being spanked for the same offence as I was way back when. An audience is a distraction that will usually work against the purpose of the spanking.
Growing up, my Father believed that spankings should be done privately. In our house, they were either done in our bedrooms or my brother and I were taken out to the garage (separately).

I think the general ideas was that it was ok to be heard, just not seen.

I do not recall ever seeing any friends or relatives being spanked when I was younger, but the threats of spanking or hearing from friends that they had been spanked was fairly common.

I believe in spanking our boys privately and separately also, out of respect for them. Similar to my own upbringing, spankings might be heard, but they are not seen. One thing that has helped in this area, is that while my Wife supports spanking, she chooses not to be home when she knows I will be doing the "fatherly duty." It recently occurred to me when talking with a friend that I have known for quite a few years, that I can't really recall my own Mother even being home when my brother and I were going to be spanked. She seemed to conveniently go around to a neighbors or run some errands. It really was a strange revelation to me, as my Wife and I had never talked about it. It's just her preference.

Either way, it has definitely allowed for privacy, which I think makes the event less humiliating than it already is.
I remember one friend I had in elementary school being spanked in front of me, I don't remember what she did, but I do remember her dad using a belt. It wasn't more then four or five swats, but it terrified me so much I never went back over there. They moved shortly after, and my poor mom had a lap full of crying me it had scared me so bad. My parents didn't use belts often (And never when we were elementary age)
I remember one spanking I saw very well, my friend had been stealing money from his mom's bag and the both of us were spending it on candy and toys. We were around 8 years old at the time, we both knew it was wrong there was no question we would get spanked if caught.
One day after he had again stolen some money we were in his room dividing up the candy and change when his dad walk in and just look at him with that look that says 'you are in trouble young man'. He took my friend by the arm, looked at me and told me to stay in the room then he pulled his son out of the room heading for the living room. I knew he was about to get it and I was scared thinking I was next but I just had to see what was happening. I followed them being careful not to be seen and watched through the crack between the door and the door frame while his pants and underpants were pulled down while being yelled at. Then his dad took him over his knee and spanked him with a belt. I watched for awhile scared but unable to look away. Finally as the spanking went on and my friend was really crying hard fear over came me and I took off for home.
I sat around the rest of the day sure my dad would appear at any moment to give me a spanking or haul me over to my friends house to be spanked by his dad. But nothing ever happened my friend did not rat me out and took the punishment for both of us.
I knew that I deserved to be spanked for that but got away with it, but I never stole anything that so even not getting a well deserved spanking and seeing my friend get it taught me a good lesson.
Once I was visiting a friend and he and his brother got into a fight. Their mother told me to go home but instead I stood outside of their bedroom window to hear them get spanked. Back than it was not unusual to hear kids get spanked while we were outside playing. Curiosity alway got the better of me and I would always stop whatever I was doing to listen to the spanking.
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