Typically, physical violence towards boys is seen as normal, expected and necessary. As violence is seen as the natural realm of males. While girls are perfect flowery princesses that must be protected. At least until puberty when everyone* who is not their parent seems to regard every teen girl as an incubator.
*: People who uncritically abscribe to traditional misogynistic conceptions of gender.
Bah. I love my friends’ kids but I’m not above joking that the dad should abandon his family when he can’t hang out. Or tie them to a stake in the backyard when he can’t get a sitter. Absurdity is funny when it’s obvious that it’s absurd.
I’ve had a conversation or two that went like that. Weird strangers telling me I should be kicking my kids ass. And they say it in front of my kids too.
If you’ve got parents around you telling you your kids are floating turds I’d have a good hard look at how you’re parenting. Or hey if everyone around you is insane maybe it’s just everyone is insane…
I don’t remember the lessons smacked into me as a child, but I did learned to avoid them by being pleasing and anxious about doing something wrong. Corporal punishment only serves the purpose of giving a feeling of control.
I’ve never used corporal punishment, and I never will. Our worst case punishment is time-out (1 minute per year old). I still remember hearing about her reaction from her grandmother. The sheer horror on her face, when she discovered that nanny knew about time-outs!
Even timeouts generally aren’t needed. It’s been over half her lifetime since we last used it. Her respect and love for us is more than enough to enforce good behaviour. We actually have to be careful, the smallest bit of upset from us creates a disproportionate reaction in her. Knowing she’s disappointed mummy or daddy hurts her more than any amount of beating with fists (open or closed) could achieve.
Just to add.
If people do advocate (even jokingly) for spanking, I take it seriously. I point out I am using the best scientific knowledge we currently have, to achieve the best results for her. If they don’t immediately back down, with their tail between their legs, I point them at something like this :
I do try and be kind with the older generations however. They didn’t know better, and often we’re doing the best they could. That’s no excuse for not adapting their advice to the times however.
Consistent parenting, with follow through on consequences is obviously the best way. But some parents never provide expectationa or consequences and those are the kids the get the “they deserve a good smack” from the grandparent comments
I am a cripple who married a woman who claimed she didn’t want kids, and believed in abortion, until we got married and she missed her birth control and got pregnant, then explained how what she had said when we were dating wasn’t true and while she didn’t want kids and that she believes that other folks can have abortions, she can not herself. Her body her choice you know
Now I’m in a body that’s not physically capable of being a dad, with a wife who doesn’t want to be a mom, but also didn’t want to make a hard decision. One child passed early on and the other has a horrible genetic disease that we fight every day
I feel like I’ve completely lost all control of my life. I have no energy for anything I used to enjoy, nor time or money to do anything but work and take care of the family
Every day I get closer to shooting myself and I don’t see a way out
Order folks are in a similar place, but I at least don’t have a good answer. My answer is a bullet and that’s a really shitty one. I just don’t see any way out and I’m so very tired
One day at a time, my man. One day at a time. I’m up and down w suicide, and your struggles are vastly different than mine but I just want to say I hear you. All I can hope for you is a different tomorrow.
Hi - I don’t know if this will work for you but I joined a local volunteer firehall which helped get me out of the house 2 hours a week for practice and I met some new people, some w kids. Of course I discussed it w my wife who understood. It’s been a wise choice.
I had to look up what a fire hall is and didn’t realize it was even called something else (fire department where I am). I was kind of picturing a Valhalla type banquet hall with a lot of barbeque
dadsplain
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