ecan6
Terry
and that is why this is still such a debate. ALL KIDS ARE DIFFERENT. Good for you ecan6 for recognizing your dad's discipline for what it was. It obviously was a direct response to bad behaviour and not abuse or "laziness" by your father.
Terry, wonderful to see sincere love for your children and for your childfren to be so moved by it that it was all that was needed to correct their behaviours.
perhaps ecan6 would have viewed your tears differently than your kids and stronger discipline would have been necessary for HIM were he your child. No one can say for sure, but we all know families with good kids and problem kids. I would assume both are raised in the same manner yet one may still need strong discipline while others need only a look from a parent to be enough.
all kids are different. Unfortuntaley sometimes a quick pat on the bum (and never in anger or with aggression) is the one thing that will get a wild young boys attention.