We hosted Seder last night. There was a family with two children, 2 and 4. The two children spent most of the time screaming, or at least it seemed so.
I reflected as I often do that I don't envy the parents of the present day. A had two brothers and a sister. When we went anywhere, we knew we better be seen and not heard. It seems like I was always wearing a little suit and tie and fun was basically out of the question.
Yet I never tell anyone I was abused, because I never feel like was. I knew I was loved. However, if being beaten with belt ever is abuse, then I was.
I never beat any of my own children with anything, but hitting wasn't out of the question.
But I found other ways. If we were going on an outing and they wouldn't stop crapping around in the car, I turned the car around and the outing was over. I only had to do that once or twice. I recall when I was taking my son and one of his friends someplace and they were getting to be too much and I warned that we would turn around and my son's friend started to keep up the shit, my son told him, "My dad means what he says."
Nowadays physical punishments are totally out of the question. But I know parents who have wonderful children. I often wonder how I would handle it if I had a baby, say, or a toddler dumped on me right now. I'd probably be dead before their 12th birthday, but just sayin. I don't know. I guess I'd start by talking to successful present day parents that I know.