What Instrument to Use to Punish Your Child

From the genius and loving parent, Michael Pearl –

What instrument would I use?

As a rule, do not use your hand. Hands are for loving and helping. If an adult swings his or her hand fast enough to cause pain to the surface of the skin, there is a danger of damaging bones and joints. The most painful nerves are just under the surface of the skin. A swift swat with a light, flexible instrument will sting without bruising or causing internal damage. Many people are using a section of ¼ inch plumber’s supply line as a spanking instrument. It will fit in your purse or hang around you neck. You can buy them for under $1.00 at Home Depot or any hardware store. They come cheaper by the dozen and can be widely distributed in every room and vehicle. Just the high profile of their accessibility keeps the kids in line.

When are they too young?

As soon as they are old enough to exercise a stubborn will or throw a fit of anger, they need to be lightly spanked. The younger children should not be punished, and the very young will not need chastisement. But from the time they are old enough to resist your will, they will need the little swats of training. Remember that we are not punishing the small child. We are just giving authority to our words. In most cases the child will not even cry.

When are they too old?

It is hard to say. It differs with each child and each family. Some families spank their kids until they are eighteen. Others stop by the time they go through puberty. Obviously you should stop when it ceases to be effective, or when they won’t cooperate. When it is embarrassing to you as well as to them, it is time to resort to reasoning and appeal. If you have a good relationship with your children and they recognize their need to be chastened or punished, then they are not too old. But if you have lost fellowship with your children and they are past puberty, they are probably too old.

Let’s pick this apart a bit…

When is a child too old to spank or be treated with the Rod?  Well, when physically abusing them ceases to be effective of of course, because they might just retaliate and that might put the parent in danger.

How about when it’s embarrassing to you and them… NOW it’s time to resort to reasoning and appeal, but chances are there won’t be enough of them left to reason with, not emotionally anyway, so good luck.

If you have lost fellowship with your children, i.e., they are teenagers, then you probably should stop hitting them because chances are they’re going to tell somebody, or start doing it to someone else.

When they’re really young, just make sure you give authority to your words by instilling the fear (and expectation) of pain in them, especially the babies.  Anyone have anything scientific to add here?

As for hanging a whip around my neck so that my child sees the potential for pain every time she gets up the courage to actually look at me, I’d rather she see me smile and my love.