Fear the Feather Duster

The funniest thing I saw lately was the facebook group "My Chinese parents beat me with a feather duster" (Image above is from that group). The terrible memories conjured up by that thing is universal among Chinese childhood memories. It is so damn funny that somehow it is a cultural practice to beat your kids with a feather duster. Why the 'ole feather duster? Is it because provides the perfect blend of providing pain, but not to the point of serious injury? The other thing I've also heard is rulers, coat hangers, and anything else that was convenient...

Well, as humorous as it may be the various tales of kids running from the beatings, trying to hide the duster only get hit by something worst, and many other attempts to escape I always wondered if there are serious consequences. This article was somethig I quickly googled up. There are probably some better articles, but it gets the point across. It unfortunately doesn't have too much data or conclusions, but it cames out with some of the things I had always wondered.

All I know is I would be too worried about seriously injuring my child to strike them with anything. Then again, I say this now with a cool head. Maybe spanking in moderation is okay? Well, for myself I would never want to do it. The article mentions the argument "Hey I was spanked and I turned out okay", but that is probably a result of the other ways parents show love for the children. Imagine if those weren't there at all. Than beatings would seem exactly like that, as violent action. I've learned from my mom that sometimes a sharp voice and an unwavering stare can get a kid to back down.

This post does kind of build off the last one. I am a fan of agressive, violent action (MMA, hockey, football etc..) but I'm a firm believer that violence has no place in domestic home life. Hopefully my actions can be in line with that.