POSTED: 5:40 pm CDT October 10, 2006
UPDATED: 6:02 pm CDT October 10, 2006

CHICAGO -- A new study about discipline of children is fueling a new debate, NBC5 reported on Tuesday.

A story in USA Today revealed many of today's business leaders were spanked by their parents. The list includes retired GE boss Jack Welch and Joe Moglia, CEO of the multi- billion dollar discount brokerage TD Waterhouse.

"It comes down to accepting responsibilities for your actions and then understanding the consequences that your actions are ultimately going to dictate," Moglia said.


Some, however, disagreed.

"Hitting CEOs as children did not lead them to become CEOs," said Robert Fathman of End Physical Punishment Of Children. "If you bring a child up and you're spanking them, they're more likely to hit an animal, a pet. They're more likely to hit another child."

According to a new poll, 55 percent of Americans said they believe a spanking is sometimes necessary. That figure is down from 90 percent in 1968.


Your take....GO!!!

I don't think a good hand-spank ever hurt a kid. Not a mean one, just say, a "business" one. Sometimes a swat to the ass seems to get your attention. I don't remember ever getting one after I was 8-9, and I don't remember it ever particularly hurting. I just remember it kind of hurting my feelings mostly.

The real problem is when people pull switches and such. If you hit a kid with a switch or a belt, you're not doing it to get their attention. You're doing it to hurt.

Why is it okay to hit a child as punishment for bad behaviour, but if you were to hit an adult for the same behaviour -or for any reason, really -you'd be slammed with an assault charge? I've asked this of people before and no one seems to be able to answer. Why is it if a man hits his wife he's an abusive son of a bitch who should be hung by his balls and beaten with a sledgehammer, but if he hits his child he's a good, loving parent? Doesn't make any sense to me. Why is it considered acceptable by our society to use force and physical pain to punish someone smaller and weaker than you, but not someone who might have a chance of hitting back?

I don't buy that bullshit about children not be able to learn any other way. I don't have kids of my own and likely won't for some time, but I do know that kids aren't nearly as stupid as people like to imagine they are.

meow85 said:

Not as stupid as many a parent I encounter every day.

HamsterHuey said:

In both my current job and others I've had where I had to interact with kids, it was never the younguns who were the problem. It was the parents.

meow85 said:

There is a difference between a Spank / Tap and Hit - Its knowing that difference yourself as an adult. Smaller Kids don't understand words so you can't exactly explain to them the danger of sticking their hands in the fire - so you smack them for it.....The other alternative is to try and explain to Social Services why your kid stuck their hand in the Fire as they slap your kids in Foster care and brand you a bad parent.....

I don't hit my Kids, but my 2 year old will get a tap on the Hands if he does anything that could hurt him or others. I always thought I would never need to physically discipline my Kids - I also thought people who did where evil.....Then I had Kids.....

However - I am not one of these Mofo's you see in the Supermarket screaming at their Kids and whaling them every thirty seconds.....