Have YOU ever hit a child?

[Ruthla]

Please bear with me- the anonymous poll will take a few minutes to show up.

OK, poll is here. I'm not including a child hitting another child- just what you've done as an adult. I'll let you decide when you considered yourself to be an adult.

[Thalia the Muse]

Yeah -- but not since I was about seven years old or so!

[rmzbm]

I don't need to be anon. I admit I have. It had an unbelievable effect on me, which is good, and I would rather gouge my own eye out before doing it again. Sweet little eyes, trusting & loving & I smacked him for no damn reason other than I was pregnant, hot & not in the mood to parent properly. No excuse. :

[thismama]

I have not, as an adult, hit a child.

[Zonie]

I voted other, but I meant to vote "I believe it is wrong, but I have hit a child and feel bad about it now".

[blsilva]

I can admit that I spanked my oldest son, but he and I were both lucky that we discovered GD. We're 2 years and counting with no spanking, and doing so much better!

[Roxswood]

I haven't ever spanked my child, or anyone elses since I was 18 and babysitting for a family who told me to spank their child if they misbehaved.
I didn't know any better, and one day when the child kicked out and caught me on the side of the face (we were sitting on the couch together and he was kicking me because he was angry I turned off the tv) and I reacted in anger and slapped his leg.
Since then, no. I'm so glad I learned other ways before I had my own children.

[fek&fuzz]

When I babysat, the family (who extendedly breastfed and didn't circ) told me to slap the top of the child's hand if he misbehaved. I have no recollection of what his "misbehavior" was, but I know I slapped his hand a few times.

[Mama Poot]

I have and I feel horrible about it. I don't believe in hitting or spanking or any of that, but I have anger issues and I am working on them. The worst part is seeing Paddy's little face fall and he starts crying. I try to remember that when I feel the urge to spank him, and remember that it accomplishes NOTHING : My husband is incredibly patient and wonderful, a real pro at GD. I'm thankful I have him to guide me along my way.

[NaomiLorelie]

Before I even had children I believed any hitting to be wrong. I have hit/spanked several times in the "heat of the moment". I'm working to never do it again because it is not okay and my children deserve better.

[mommy2abigail]

I voted for the first one. HOWEVER, I do have a very reactive nature, and could easily see myself in the second category, hitting as a reaction, and feeling awful about it. It is something I am VERY aware of and am working on everyday. I have many times felt like I WANTED to hit, and have even once hit the bed, right next to dd. Just doing that felt horrid, and thank God dd looked at me and laughed, because I would have had a total meltdown. We are entering the toddler stage right now, and she's really trying, spirited, and well, everything else a toddler is. If I can make it through this, I can make it through anything!

[frontierpsych]

I have not hit a child since I was a child. Now what I'm working on is patience with my dog! I'll admit freely I've hit her as discipline (she's a husky, and it obviously doesn't work anyway because no matter how hard I hit she thinks I'm playing). I ask myself why it's okay to hit my dog but not my kids and I'm just like "Well-- because she's a DOG!" but then I think that's the reason a lot of people give as to why it's okay to hit a child but not an adult "Well-- because she's a CHILD!") so now I've got something to work on because I don't want my kids to grow up thinking it's okay to hit anyone, even animals.

[hipumpkins]

I hit my DD and i still feel awful abut it. She spit at me and I lost it. It wasn't anything I planned and I don't even think i did it to teach her a lesson. I hit b/c I was pissed. I hit and than grabbed her and hugged her and apologized...it was like one fell swoop. angry mommy to ashamed mommy. :

[jrayn]

I am very ashamed and this is the first time I have confessed
I was very very stressed and my dd was very very cranky and she kept doing things that were just plain dangerous, trying to climb onto the enertainment center next to the tv, going to the plugs to pull on them, leaping on the back of the couch anyways, I hit her butt, she cried and said "bug bite!!!" I cried and hugged her and apologized, she nursed, I kept apologizing and saying no more bug bites from mommy ever again... it was horrible....

[Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by rmzbm

I don't need to be anon. I admit I have. It had an unbelievable effect on me, which is good, and I would rather gouge my own eye out before doing it again.

:

He was 3 years old, spit in my face and I reacted like a j@ck@ss. I smacked him once. The look on his face was horrifying. I'm absolutely positive it will never happen again.

[Millie Ivy]

I have never hit my own kids, but I am pretty sure I spanked for discipline when babysitting as a teen.
I think. I know my mom was pro spanking and we nannied at our house when I was a teen, and I am sure that when helping I did too.
It wasn't until I was pregnant with oldest(my dd) that I started learning about gd.

[kamilla626]

Not as an adult, no. But I've felt the kind of rage and frustration that I could imagine leading to physical aggression.

Hugs to those of you who are struggling with the guilt and shame of having hit out of anger.

[MamaFern]

i voted..

I beleive hitting children is WRONG but I've hit a child, and felt awful about it.

i wish that i could vote on #1..

i have reacted in anger with my son when i should have taken a deep breath and taken space. that said, i dont think that it is ever OK to hit a child and he didn't deserve it at all. i feel terrible about it and never want to to do it again.

i'd like to make the clarification that i've swatted my sons bum ..but never full out spanked him. in my eyes there is a difference (not trying to justify my actions in any way)

my mom did the pull the pants down ..over the knee spanking thing a few times with us as kids and i would never ever do that..

[roxyrox]

I voted #1. I haven't done it and hopefully never will. I have felt like it a couple of times though and have had to leave the room to calm down.

[sunnysideup]

My mom was a hitter. I feel it's wrong and would never hit my kids. I understand and wouldn't judge parents that struggle with this though--we all make mistakes. I have my issues that I struggle with.

I am sad that there are parents here that hit their kids and don't think it's wrong or want to stop. :