[PepsiChic]

(1) i dont have kids - but if i did i dont think id spank them
(2) no its illegal - you could end up in jail
(3) no - but i think they need to be given more power to deal with children that misbehave
(4) talking - someone i used to work with has some great ways of dealing with his 3 children if they misbehave, he gets down to their level and tells them what they have done wrong and what their punishment will be - cleaning, not watching their fav tv program etc. i remember once in the shop his two boys were mis behaving and he talked to them and they both said sorry and understood that they wouldnt be allowed pudding after dinner.
(5) yes - speaking from personal experience
(6) yes - young children cannot defend themselves. the people they love and trust to look after them is hurting them
(7) yes - it hurt and i stopped trusting my parents. if they got close to me i flinched. sometimes my older sister would do something and id get punished for it because they were angry that something bad had been done they wouldnt listen when id try and tell them it wasnt me.

as i got older things got worse, i had huge fights with my parents, mainly my mum. had my head smashed off a wall, pushed down the stairs. never any major incidents. but enough to make me move out when i was 15. after i lived away from home for 3 or 4years, without their help or anything, they havent touched me. they've shouted and screamed but i just tell them where to go.

i guess i dont fear their punishment anymore because i had their punishments uptill i was 15 and then my ex just carried it on and worse. so when i moved back home their punishments dont seem that harsh anymore. and i think they know that so they havent tried anything.

dont get me wrong when i say all this. i love my parents. they were good in bringing me and my siblings up. but for some reason i always got the brunt of their anger, especially when they went through a rough patch. id say it has affected who i am now and what i do.

but in the end i dont think they meant to cause me real harm, whereas my ex did. that for me is enough to excuse them of their actions.

but for these reasons i dont ever want to raise my hand to a child. but i dont think bad of anyone who does, i just hope it isnt as rough as i had.