Yes, I was spanked as a child. Well, you've read enough of my stuff to know that. And by spanked, I don't mean "spanked." I mean hit wherever whatever landed. No often, mind you, but how often does it need to be?

My mother was a huge "spare the rod, spoil the child" type and her favourite was the slap in the mouth. Five year old me asks after Sunday school how God exists if we can't see him - slap in the mouth. Disturbed her hoard, which was in MY room - slap in the mouth. Disagree - slap in the mouth.

She stopped when I was 15 because I was bigger than her, well taller and she went to slap me because she didn't like my attitude. It was probably poor. She went for it, and I remember saying, "go for it old woman, see what happens." Wrong, yeah. She called my father, who was, at the time, staying weekdays an hour and a half away for weekly, life-saving dialysis treatments and told him how awful I was. He came home immediately (well, you know) and told her, you touch my daughter even once again, and we're outta here.

I shouldn't have threatened her. I get that. But, beating a child, and let's just call it wat it is, teaches them that physical violence is how you solve problems. And I won't even get into the rest of the damage it does to a child, when the people they trust most are hitting them....I could go on for days. Excellent article. Thank you for posting.