Smack My Bitch Up

“Interview Questions & Dialogues: Spanking


Specific sets of questions were asked to a group of parents regarding spanking and how each of them deal with “rude children”. They are of different races, demographics, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Questions:
1. How old is/are your child/children?
2. Do you believe that children should be spanked?
3. Do you think it is the most effective form of discipline?
4. What is the difference between spanking and child abuse, to you?
5. What do you feel about spanking in public? and Would you ever spank your children in public?
6. Do you find differences in gender, in the context of behavior?
7. How do you deal with your children when spanking is not enough?
8. Were you spanked as a child?

Parent A:
1. 7, 15, and 18
2. Yes
3. No
4. Child abuse is not the way I raised my children.
5. Isn’t that illegal? I’m not sure…. No.
6. They’re all the same.
7. A decrease in allowance and grounding.
8. Yes, a lot.

Parent B:
1. 5 and 7
2. Yes
3. No
4. Spanking is okay; I would never abuse my children. They are two completely different things.
5. Spanking is for the home. No.
6. My son was bratty when he was younger, but my daughter is the more difficult one now.
7. My husband and I take turns on disciplining. Sometimes we tell them to raise their hands or force them to their rooms and make them go to bed early.
8. Yes.



Parent C:
1. 5 and 8
2. I’m not sure.
3. Spanking isn’t effective because it doesn’t teach children self-control or alternative positive behavior. They see themselves as a victim or someone who deserves to be hurt.
4. Spanking is seen as an acceptable form of discipline, yet they both produce possibly equal the damage to the children, so to me, there isn’t much difference.
5. Spanking in general, whether it’s in public or at the privacy of your home is unacceptable. and no I would not.
6. I don’t see a significant difference between male and female.
7. Setting clear rules prior to an action with a positive alternative, also knowing that as a parent I have to understand that misbehavior is simply a child’s natural curiosity. Also, removing a child from a situation is important if something is causing the child to act in an uncanny manner. I think it is important to isolate them and let them cool down. This will calm the situation, and I can calm down as well.
8. Yes.

Parent D:
1. 6
2. No.
3. Time-outs have been working great for us.
4. Both are abuse. Both are unacceptable in my home.
5. I don’t want to answer those.
6. My daughter is a lot more sociable than my son. They get along with strangers and people differently. It’s hard to say.
7. I don’t spank.
8. Yes. That is why I don’t touch my daughter.

Conclusion:
My findings were different from the general presumptions or ideal norms with the families. After I gathered my research, I began to question gender, culture, race, and standings in society; I found that, although I thought I picked a panel of a wide range of people, the demographics of this particular city were too similar. The information that I collected was still too broad. I would have to interview more parents for accurate findings, because I have to take all of these specific factors into account during the process."
-Cathy & Michael