SPANKING: Archaic and uncivil

A thought hit me the other day. Those with parents who engaged in corporal punishment (spanking) as a behavioral modification technique often recount their experiences in somewhat glorified terms. “My dad would have…” In many cases they have examined their own lives and have concluded that their upbringing created a superior personality, instilled with discipline through fear.

Does this sound familiar? If so, I challenge you to consider an alternate reality. Is it possible that your personality would be just as fantastic without clinging to “Stockholm syndrome” type notions? Should a child taser a drunk parent for making a few too many mistakes on a Friday night?

Any act of aggression exposes the soul to acrimonious flights of character. Very few people have a natural proclivity to endure a negative reality, and walk away with a lifelong smile. Throw a glass of water in your daughter’s face and tell her to sit outside. Strip your son’s room of all its belongings except for a bed and an alarm clock. It’s 2017: Can you try to stay away from your child’s rear end?

EKKO O’KEY

Coeur d’Alene