Just writing to say I think I am pleased with TM's posts, but not in the way you are thinking... this is a forum and needs different inputs to make it worth opening and reading and, I know this will sound a little peevish, but with so many parents in the world its inevitable that problems will recur and be repetitive, therefore the very nature of this board is repetitive - thats what we need for today and tomorrow. So to tune in and find TM standing on her soapbox and spouting controversial and deliberately inflaming opinions in her posts is a little - well - different. So, as a back handed compliment TM - thank you, nothing ignites debate more than someone who thinks they are better than you, even though they dont know you - telling you where you are going wrong.

I think there are three groups of parents... the great ones, like TM, who have come out the other side, with their sanity and a job well done, those still trying, like most forum readers here, who hope they will keep their sanity and are doing their very best, and ones that don't try, don't care, and don't ask them about it!!!
For me... I am a single mother of four - three boys and a girl. I smacked my eldest when he was young, then one day, when I was freshly single, the smack came ( I was hitting him for hitting his brother - go figure) and I got one back. Every child tries hitting Mum at some point, and its our job to teach them it is not a good choice. I get that. But it taught me a huge lesson too, one day, he, and his 2 brothers would be bigger than me, and stronger.... I couldn't teach them that hitting was OK. So thats how I came to my saying... Don't fix something naughty by doing something naughty.In my opinion smacking is not clever TM, not even if you hug them afterwards...yours works for you, and mine is for me....

There are many ways to bring a child into the world in a socially acceptable way, yours included, and thats what keeps bringing me back to this forum, those that have been thru 'it', can help those on the way... and thats a good thing. There is no need to preach and we don't have a pulpit, just folks asking for help or advice....they have helped me before and I am sure they will again, good advice, free, when I need it. That old saying is true, it does take a village to bring up a child, and I enjoy my little global village here.

Thank you friends
jen

Hear Hear!!

Well said Jen!

I've met self righteous bigots like TM before. They're usually middle aged, middle/upper class and justifies not working with the strap-line "My job's bringing up my children" (nice to be in that position).

It's be nice to see if the stereotype's wrong?