The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Spanking: Real-Life Questions
Q: If my son defies me when I say “No!,” I give his hand a little swat. Is
that okay?
A: Here’s the problem with swatting—it’s a dead-end street! What I
mean is, as your child grows older, that “little swat” will no longer
intimidate him. When he rebels, you’ll be forced to hit him
harder … and harder. Some parents eventually find themselves using
belts, coat hangers, or sticks. And later, children get so big that even
those things don’t work.
Q: My father was spanked, and it made him behave, and he spanked me,
and I behaved too. So what’s the problem with me spanking my son?
A: I often hear parents say, “I was spanked, and I turned out okay.” I’m a
big supporter of family traditions. Many of them have great value, but
spanking is not one we should be proud of. (God knows you would never
allow anyone else to spank your child, would you?) Slapping can trigger
feelings of resentment and humiliation that can fester for an entire
lifetime (especially if we were unfairly punished, or hit out of anger, or

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in the face, or with an object).
I think the only reason spanking has been passed on—generation after
generation—from the Dark Ages to today is because parents never knew
there was a better alternative. In fact, I have never met a parent who said
she would keep hitting her kids if she had another way to get them to
behave that was easy, effective, and respectful.
Well, that’s exactly what The Happiest Toddler approach offers. Simple
methods help parents raise children who want to obey (out of love and
respect), not children who are forced to obey (through threats and fear).
Your ancestors had many traditions that you have happily stopped.
They washed clothes in streams, slept on hay mattresses, and used
outhouses. In those “good ol’ days,” children were paddled, whipped
with switches and belts, had their ears pulled … their faces
slapped … their mouths washed out with soap … their tongues “hot-
sauced” … and their knuckles rapped with rulers.
It’s time to stop using intimidation and pain to make kids cooperate.
No offense, Grandpa, but there is a better way!

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