> I heard a radio preacher say something worthwhile. If a child says
> something disrespectful to his or her mother, and the child's
father is
> present, the appropriate action should be spanking!

Why is this appropriate? Shouldn't you first ask WHY the child said
it in the first place? Were they angry or upset, feeling unwell, had
a bad day at school ...? Kids are human beings too - they do have
feelings. If my 3-year old says to me "I don't like you!" then I
know he's probably feeling tired, or a bit upset about something to
do with his toys, or a MILLION other things.

And by the way, my child behaves like an ANGEL 99% of the time. We
love him immensely and try to explain as much to him as possible. We
don't spank - what is this, the 1950s?

When a man doesn't do
> this, he's allowing the worst kind of infraction- this would
pertain when
> the child does this to his or her father, too, I'm sure- and the
man is
> the worst kind of wimp!

I'm a wimp, then? Thanks, that's great.

Besides that, if the child isn't severely dealt
> with, you can expect an older child or especially a teenager that
will
> probably need to be hit by this father, and that will be the fault
of him
> for not having dealt when the child was small. This kid will grow
up to
> be BAD NEWS, if not disciplined

Really? Is this proven through scientific experiments or research?
I don't think so. And this fact is doubly disappointing, considering
that this discussion group is (to my great satisfaction!) dedicated
to uncovering the real facts about so many issues facing children.
The above statement reads to me as though it were spoken from an
emotional standpoint, not an objective standpoint.

Sorry, Cheyenne, but I strongly beg to differ with your opinion. And
I speak from experience as a loving, involved, intelligent, educated,
non-wimpish father. If I had a dollar for the number of times other
parents / adults had commented to me (or to my wife) about how calm,
or polite, or sweet, or intelligent, or ALL OF THE ABOVE, that my son
is ... well, I wouldn't have to be at work right now!

I should point out that I heartily agree with the rest of the
sentiments expressed in this post. It is of grave concern and I can
only be selfish in that I'm glad this sort of Orwellian nightmare is
not happening here in Australia.