Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Blossom]

I read in an article about a boy who was given �a good old-fashioned spanking� by his mother.

It also said he got a �good hiding�.

Why is the word *good* used? Surely a spanking or a hiding cannot be considered good?

And what exactly is an old fashioned spanking?

[Brian Boyd]

When it says 'a good old fashioned' spanking, it mean a traditional punishment rather than a modern (maybe less effective) punishment.

When it says 'good' it doesn't mean good as in 'enjoyable' or 'nice' it means good as in 'well done' or 'thorough' ... not soft or gentle spanking - a good spanking means the person was spanked in a way that really hurt!

[Blossom]

Thanks. I can understand that "good" mears thorough, but what is an old-fashioned spanking? I know what old-fashioned clothes are but how can give an old out of date spanking? How give a modern spanking? Any difference?

[Brian Boyd]

It's old-fashioned because spanking used to be a common punishment for naughty children, but it isn't used in schools now.

My teacher, Mr. Jones, used to call it 'six of the best'. A child who was naughty would get called to the front of the classroom to get six of the best (6 hard spanks). It was a punishment every child in the class feared.

Now in Britain it is forbidden for teachers to hit children. Punishment is seen by many people to be too soft. A lot of people think this is the reason why there are so many behavioural problems with students in Britain - because kids know the only punishments they will receive are very mild (like getting shouted at, or missing a break time).

Older people who see young children being rude and disrespectful often say "When I was a boy, I would never talk to adults like that because I knew I'd get a good old fashioned spanking." Or they might say "What terrible behaviour. It's no use shouting at that young man. What he needs is a good old fashioned spanking!"

A saying you might hear from older people in Britain is 'Spare the rod and spoil the child' - it means that a naughty child should receive physical punishment. If you don't punish them properly then they will continue to be naughty, since they aren't scared of their soft punishment.

Another thing older people will say is "I got hit all the time when I was a boy and it never did me any harm - it taught me to respect my elders and made me the man I am today"

How's that, Blossom? Enough spanking information for you?

Brian

[tri]

[Blossom]

It seems to me that you should not say a good old fashioned spanking. It should be a bad old fashioned spanking. Spanking is bad, not good.

How awful to be spanked in front of the class.

[Bob S.]