The debate rages on. Columnist, Jenny Sokol of the OC Register brings up this issue after a Swedish friend nearly called the police after witnessing a neighbor smack their child's behind--apparently, hitting children is not permitted in Sweden (perhaps this is worthy of further research and an in-depth article on child discipline throughout the world). Anyway, Sokol explained how it's very much still in debate in this country. Then she offers the many tactics she's used over the years to discipline and encourage including spanking, chores, sticker charts and so on. My favorite part of her column is the story of how an acquaintance got her four boys in line. She ordered a truck full of dirt to be dumped in her front yard and gave them each a shovel and wheelbarrow. "I need this moved to the backyard by tonight. Work together," she told them. By the time they finished, the boys were buddies again. The dirt was then ready to be moved back to the front yard for their next argument.

Where do you stand on this issue?

Labels: commentary, kids, parenting