Not sure if this topic’s ever been covered here before, but here goes.

Sophia is 10 months old.  She’s beginning to show lots of signs of deliberate stubbornness and rebellion.  She actually says, “Yes” or “Yeah” in response to telling her, “No.”  It has been recommended to us that we begin to use “the rod.”  We’re told it’s a matter of obedience to God, a matter of not setting a pattern where disobedience is allowed. 

I have lots of reservations (a) about spanking in the first place, and (b) about spanking a 10 month old.  My reservations about spanking, very vaguely, go something like this:


  • Are the references to “the rod” in Scripture cultural?  Wouldn’t any effective form of punishment work and fulfill the Scriptural mandate to discipline?

  • Not trying to be “wiser than God,” or whatever, but is it the best form of punishment to teach a child that when someone doesn’t do what you want them to do, hitting them (even if done calmly with an explanation of what they did wrong) is the answer?  Isn’t this world violent enough?  Shouldn’t we be teaching our kids non-violent ways of handling issues?


As far as Sophia goes, I just have a hard time believing that a 10 month old can accurately process the meaning of a smack on the hand or a swat on the butt.

Thoughts?