h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't have children and, if I did, would try to avoid smacking or to limit it to occasions when it was deserved. Both my parents 'learned' their parenting skills from their parents. Both had fathers who would hit somebody when something wasn't right. In my father's case, his father was his 'role model' and he grew up thinking that that was the way a father *should* behave. In my mother's case, she grew up thinking 'No way am I going to allow this to happen to *my* children'. When it came to raising the two of us, Mum won, thank goodness!

My mother summed up her attitude to parenting as follows: If you'd like somebody to do it to you or for you, do it to or for your children. If not, don't. That meant we had good food, warm clothes, lots of love and attention, and discipline / chastisement when required. Very little of the chastisement was physical - Mum had things worked out so that it didn't need to be.

Yes, I don't think anyone can imagine what it will be like having your own children. Learning to live with a new personality in the household is not always easy! You may find new facets of your own personality emerging. (Good/bad)
I think patience is one of the most useful qualities to have.

I was spanked as a child... and I knew I was wrong and that was the consequnce of my actions. So, I think that you should only spank after a certain age. DON'T spank when you are angery. Don't slap a kid around. Let the kid know *why* you do it. Talk to them. Don't spank for every little thing. Find punishments that fit the crime if applicable.

cheers.

I love children.



But I couldn't eat a whole one.


Does anyone have any idea how to get rid of them when they've outstayed their welcome and their (completely undisciplined and extremely naughty and noisy) children are driving your husband (literally) mad/into an early grave?

If you smack your children you will justify smacking them - else you couldn't live with yourself. If you don't smack your children, you won't be convinced its necessary. At times I'm sure if my wife hadn't been there, I'd have snapped.

I'm sure we all know horror stories about brats who were never punished or kids beaten regularly, but in reality if we are normal people we will want to do our best for our children.

Alas, experience shows us that there are a great many people who are not fit to be parents, , now if we could find those people and stop them having children........

How about an intelligence test for prospective parents - If you want to have children you fail.

If guests outstay their welcome and the making of or to round off the day/evening doesn't give them the hint, then you can always try 'I'm going to bed now, make sure you shut the front door when you leave'

I usually nod off while they are sat next to me (and sometimes I pretend )

But it's been over six months.