I have a friend who says she gets excellent results by spanking her baby son when he cries, which gets him to stop crying. It sounds like it would make life pleasanter for the parents, but should we be concerned about any possible long-term effects on the baby? Are there any professionals out there who have experience with grown-ups who have had that kind of treatment as infants?
Im surprised by this as I'd have thought it would make the baby cry louder!! I also would imagine that the baby is crying for a reason - however irritating that may be, by smacking she is not addressing the reason. Poor baby. The worst I ever did in regards to being completely frustrated at not knowing why they were crying and having tried everything else to sooth and comfort was blowing! - I blew in their faces a few times and I suppost it was fright that made them stop crying - possibly was just crying for the sake of it that time! As far as you question of long term effects go, I expect that if this carried on for a long period of time the child would stop communicating with the parent in more ways as he/she was not getting any results other than a sore backside. It may cause developmental problems due to lack of love and comfort when it was needed. The child may feel unloved and not listened to. If it was extreme, the teenager may go completely out of control for lack of proper discipline. Hope this does not go out of control and you will be able to convince her there is other ways to calm a crying baby.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I was spanked when I cried as a child. It did not help me at all. Of course, I stopped crying. I was scared to death. But, it just made me feel unloved. I also felt like I couldn't go to my parents when something upset me. I think that kids need to feel secure and loved by their parents not horrified to sow their emotions.
