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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!rduxb!smh
From: smh@rduxb.UUCP (henning)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: corporal punishment
Message-ID: <710@rduxb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Sep-85 11:41:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: rduxb.710
Posted: Tue Sep 10 11:41:13 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 06:33:04 EDT
References: <974@uscvax.UUCP> <695@rduxb.UUCP> <177@gargoyle.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Reading, PA
Lines: 29

> I'll bet my next paycheck that Mr. Henning received corporal
> punishment fairly often as a child and that he experienced it at the
> time as undeserved and unfair.  

****                                                                 ****
From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA rduxb!smh

Sorry, you loose.  You can send the check at your convenience.  I was
spoiled rotten.  However, I was smart enough to not ruin the arrangement
by doing too many rotten things.

I have worked with children for 20 years as a Boy Scout leader, and have
found the proponents of "don't touch my child" as being those parents
who have raised real brats.  I only touched a Scout once, and all I did
was back him into a wall with my fat gut and shout at him.  He is the only
boy I ever met who had no respect at all for anyone behind their back,
but was the sweatest little thing to their face.  I can take almost
anything, but deceit and bigotry are two things that trigger me.  It is
rewarding to find that most children do in fact grow up to be productive
human beings despite what they want you to believe when they are younger.
Child abuse is very bad, but many very good parents use very effective
forms of discipline and do not abuse their children.  We do not need
to send these parents on a guilt trip because they have spanked their
children.  We should be addressing abuse and not discipline that is not
abuse.  One thing we do in Scouts is ask children what the rules should
be and what the punishment should be for infractions.  It is very
surprising to hear how well they understand the system and how good their
punishments are.  Of course, we never use corporal punishment unless
it is the scoutmasters own child.