Corpun file 15353

New York Post, 2 March 2005

Parental Reality Check: A Whack Can Work

By Arnold Ahlert

WITH apologies to Shakespeare: To spank or not to spank, that is the question.

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has stirred up a tempest, admitting his grandmother used corporal punishment to discipline him as a boy. "When I would act the fool, she would whup me," he said."

For child-rearing "experts" corporal punishment is an absolute no-no. We must "reason" with children, befriend them and do virtually nothing that might damage their self-esteem.

Absolute no-no? Absolute nonsense. And before you get started, understand that a whack on the fanny or the hand does not equal beating a child with a hose or throwing him up against a wall.

But maybe some of the hands-off types might explain how you keep a 2-year-old from running into the middle of the street when "no" doesn't get you anywhere. Maybe they should explain how you reason with a child who's . . . below the age of reason.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child" is now heresy. Are our children better behaved? Do you get the sense that most of them are concerned, considerate citizens -- or self-absorbed, spoiled brats? Should parents be a kid's friend or a kid's boss? Why are parents so willing to embrace therapeutic "enlightenment" -- instead of their own common sense?

Hands off the behind? Good luck, mom and dad. You're going to need it.

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