Happy Birthday CaBil!!

sophia, I do think it is unusual but you can get a "no police record" from most police stations.

I had no idea! The things I learn from Buffistas....

We got spanked once in a while. Not with a belt or hairbrush or anything. My dad did smack me upside the head a couple of times that I recall, for mouthing off--which is not good, but his parents beat him regularly, so it was a huge improvement. I know he felt bad about it and apologized when I was older, but it only happend a few times, and each time I had been REALLY pushing the limits, so I don't feel bad about it.

I was spanked, but it stopped pretty early. Probably around the time my parents discovered they could punish me by forbidding me to watch that day's syndicated episode of Star Trek.

I was spanked a few times, nothing too intense. My dad used a belt on me once, which I think was understandable in the context of his upbringing (large brood of kids behaviorally similar to Hal & Lois' on Malcolm in the Middle, frequent switchings). But Mom pointed out that I wasn't committing arson or digging Burmese tiger traps for the mailman like he and his siblings did, and took over the discipline from that point onward.

I was spanked - the bad kind was a "pants down" which was hand on the bare bottom. I recall it as more humiliation than pain.

I don't spank my children and don't plan to, though I have grabbed them too roughly occasionally in the heat of the moment.

Does that seem weird to anyone else.

Red flag! Red flag!

I was spanked, but not often. mac has been spanked with an open hand on the bottom from me, but denial of privileges (such as toys, tv, games) is much more effective. Immediate response of leaving the room works better than a spanking.

I hope I didn't suggest that my dad was a monster about it.

I didn't think so. It was pretty clear to me that he ratcheted down considerably from his parents and then you came down again -- I think that's pretty common with these recent generations.

I had one friend who was flat out abused and promised herself she'd never hit her children -- it wasn't that she thought hitting was always completely irrevocably wrong, it was that she knew she had no sense of what would be sane.

My dad spanked me twice (that I remember), the last time when I was around seven and really being obnoxious. He gave me multiple warnings, but I kept pushing the subject, so he spanked me on the rear and sent me to bed early.

After that, they got really good at the "you've disappointed us" mode of punishment. I wanted their respect, so not disappointing them was always at the top of my mind.