My dad told us about the time he and some friends decided to spend their after-school hours collecting rotting pumpkins in the fields and then, after dark, headed over to the nearest overpass to drop them on cars passing beneath. They did this to a few cars until one of them turned on the flashing lights on top of his police car after getting hit with a pumpkin. Dad and his buddies bolted, and he managed to get his brand new jeans ripped in a barbed wire fence while running home. He got scolded by Grandma for ripping his pants but neither she nor Grandpa ever heard about the cop car.

As someone whose parents were fond of grounding as punishment, I can say it was quite effective. There were times I wished they'd just spank me and it'd be over!

As someone whose parents were fond of grounding as punishment, I can say it was quite effective.

My parents never grounded me. Also, we didn't really have a curfew. Of course, my best friend in high school had a curfew and was frequently grounded and I think my folks figured her being punished punished me also. So they let her folks be the bad guys.

I was spanked, and I tend not to do it myself because my mother spanked in anger. And I remember even as a kid feeling that that was unfair and wrong.

I've spanked Emeline for doing things like running out in traffic. But that was when she was smaller and I didn't think having an extended discussion with her about it would have driven home the very necessary point, which was: You DO NOT DO THAT EVER EVER EVER!!

Since she's older I haven't felt the need to spank her. A stern word or tone usually does it and she hasn't done anything dangerously stupid lately. Though I always watch to see if she does.

My mother grounded me, but it's kinda hard to enforce if you're never home.

Mom only tried to ground us once (for lying to her about going to church while she was out of town for work, not because we had a party that weekend--she didn't find out about that until a few years ago), and my sister ended up going out with her friends that night anyway, so it wasn't all that successful.

what originally prompted me to ask about legality was, what if someone was spanking their kid in public? Of course, if it's not illegal here, would anyone make a big deal of it?

Did you know that today is Magritte's birthday?

Did you know that today is Magritte's birthday?

This is not Magritte's birthday.

Of course, my best friend in high school had a curfew and was frequently grounded and I think my folks figured her being punished punished me also.

That was my problem my senior year in high school! Although my best friend didn't get grounded, but she did always have a ridiculous curfew.

Speaking of whom, I haven't seen her in years, but I just got a random postcard from her, and now I feel like I should call over Thanksgiving. But I don't really want to. And I'm sure if I don't reach out to her, she won't call me either, since by virtue of the postcard, it is now "my turn." @@