Last week, we ran a story that originated in the National Enquirer in which a former staffer of Jon and Kate Gosselin claimed to have witnessed Kate take one of her children into a room and spank him repeatedly with a plastic spoon. The child was screaming, and the supposed witness alleges that it wasn’t the first time Kate spanked one of her children with an object. We had quite a debate in the comments on that article about corporal punishment. My stance is that it’s never warranted and is cruel and ineffective, but that I wouldn’t judge someone for a light smack. Many of you said you were spanked and turned out fine, but that it can become abusive in many instances and you have to be careful not to take your anger out on a small child.
In Touch has exclusive photos coming out in their upcoming edition that feature Kate Gosselin smacking one of her daughters on the bottom. You can see that Kate is mad and the daughter is crying. It’s pretty clear she’s spanking her for something because the child is upset, her dress is lifted up and Kate’s hand is right there. You can see all the photos on PopEater:
The world of Jon and Kate Gosselin is about to get even more dramatic (if that’s possible), as photos of Kate apparently spanking one of her children has been given to PopEater exclusively by In Touch Weekly.
In these photos given exclusively to PopEater, reality mom Kate Gosselin is seen here allegedly smacking her daughter Leah.
The photos were taken on June 13, and show Kate playing outside with her children. According to the In Touch story, when daughter Leah blew a whistle after being asked to stop, Gosselin allegedly grabbed her and spanked her. The photos show Kate holding the girl’s arm, and then the daughter crying and holding her rear.
“The girl was screaming and crying. Kate just pushed her away and walked off with her coffee. Her older sisters were trying to make Leah feel better,” an witness tells In Touch.
The Gosselins have been making headlines for months, as everything from their love lives and reports of infidelity to their vacations have become something everyone wants to know about. Both Jon and Kate have separately been linked to other romantic partners, though neither has admitted any infidelity.
[From PopEater]
The inset story on the cover asking why police were called is about Kate calling them to get rid of photographers. Maybe she realized that they busted her smacking her kid.
Last week, we saw a video clip in which Kate Gosselin requested a bottle of water ahead of an interview and drank it, repeatedly ignoring her daughter’s request for water. Her daughter Mady said “Mommy, you’re so mean.” It looks like Kate’s children know just how mean their mom is and that it goes beyond actively ignoring their needs.
“Jon and Kate Plus 8” continues to sink in the ratings, which is only to be expected considering how strongly it opened with all the tabloid controversy. Now that this new issue of In Touch is coming out, more people will probably tune in to see how Kate treats her poor kids. It’s time to pull the plug on this show.
Photos used with permission of In Touch. Header photo via Cover Awards
Good Lord. TLC needs to pull the plug on this show (cause the Gosselins won’t do it themselves!). that is just horrible!
IMO I don’t think spanking your kids is wrong as long as you keep it to light spanking, it is a fine line, and IMO some kids need to be spanked, we’ve all seen the kid that needs to be taken to restroom and have their butt spanked, not beat, but spanked… I turned out okay, i don’t hurt animals or beat up old people
hard hitting or light spaning, it’s using fysical force to make someone obey you. I don’t like it. I know kids can drive you insane, but I feel like it’s a show of weakness on the parents part.
“Being a parent is not about breeding.” Sandra Bullock is so right.
This prime bitch owes all her money and fame to her children and abuses them in several ways.
Octomom is batshit crazy, but Gosselin is just greedy and mean.
Hitting a child is wrong, it doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s demeaning and hurtful for the child and -what’s maybe even worse- sends the message that it’s ok to use violence to make your point.
I fear for these kids now if their lives AREN’T chronicled. Mommy dearest will find another outlet to exploit them if TLC pulls the plug. Where’s Gloria Allred now and all of her publicity-hungry-righteous anger?
Good God, people — If you have children, you have swatted their behinds at least once. Give this woman a break. If YOU had eight kids, you’d find a way to manage them and a swatted behind is NOT cause for an arrest or crucifixion. LEAVE HER ALONE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. She needs to get out of the spotlight and raise those beautiful children without all the scrutiny. Let’s see some of the haters in her shoes. Opinions would change mighty quickly, you can bet the house on that!
i’ve never believed in hitting your children. spanking is hitting the children. would you go up to a stranger on the street and hit their bum? no, because they could call the cops and tell them you were hitting them. so how is that different from spanking your kid, especially with a plastic spoon? if spanking was a good way to discipline kids, then why aren’t shows like nanny 911, take home nanny, or supernanny advocating spanking? so yeah, that’s horrible. the poor kids. gloria allred needs to take her mind off the octomum and focus on those other 8 kids.
I don’t know what’s so wrong in spanking your kid, I think that these tabloids that tend to exhaggerate everything have done their job once again! Millions of people have grown up with parents that used to spank them if they misbehaved, and they aren’t all terrorists and such.
Give it a break!
@ CRAZINESS – actually, no, I have never spanked my kids. My oldest has turned into an extremely well mannered and productive adult (19) and the youngest is only 5. Does this make me some type of super parent or do you suspect there might be millions of others that also choose self control over spanking? I suspect the latter!
Spanking is to make a parent feel better and has nothing to do with teaching kids anything – other than it is ok to use violence against someone smaller than yourself!
I have children. Never, ever, ever spanked them. EVER. think about it…how do you teach them that hitting is wrong, and then turn around and hit them when they misbehave? As parents, we need to set the best examples. Hitting your child, for ANY reason, is always wrong. In fact, it’s illegal in many countries. It should be illegeal here.
@CRAZINESS : You know it’s easy for me to sit and look at the pictures and go “What a bitch, what a bad mother – shame, poor child” but you are SO right.
I have 2 children, aged 6 and 2 and even though we use the “naughty corner” approach, you reach a point where the “naughty corner” just doesn’t work fast enough and a spanking is required. i mean, you hit them on the bum, just once and it’s like a halo appears – they behave!!
I think this woman needs a break too – i don’t like her much, but her husband was just caught cheating with a
younger, prettier lady, she has 8 small children and ALL THIS PRESSURE – reality shows, gossip etc. a person can only take so much and kids are not ALWAYS angels.
She’s not a perfect mom – but then again, there is no such thing as a perfect mom.
Again, anyone who has watched this show from the beginning will see that Kate has pushed Jon out of her life. Kate also wants the fame and money – but if the concerns about filming didn’t get child protective services involved, this is certainly an open invitation.
The problem with Kate is that EVERYTHING must be done her way, said her way – everything and she has a very short temper.
Give me a break! I spank my nieces when I feel it’s necessary. I’m not “abusing” them I’m disciplining them. I said it b4 & I’d say it again…Parents r way too soft on their kids now-a-days that’s y when a photo like this surfaces its all “OMG HOW DARE SHE” please…spanking IS necessary sumtimes, get over it
I see nothing wrong with a light spanking. A repeated hit? No, that’s too far. I think it would only take one to put some shock into a kid.
That’s how I grew up, and I’m fine, as the rest of my siblings.
I’ve never used spanking. It’s just not necessary. There are other techniques you can use to teach a child to behave. Discipline doesn’t mean hit, it actually means “teach.”
That being said, I don’t really judge spankers too much, being as I live in the south and it’s very common and widespread.
However, here’s the crux of it for Kate–it’s not whether it’s right or wrong or whether you do it or I do it or you were spanked as a child or I was spanked as a child: the deal with her is that paps with telephoto lenses are photographing her. She has her kids play in the FRONT of their home when they have something like 20 acres. She and her kids (and somewhat her husband these days) have their lives chronicled IN A SHOW that is on TV and has been for FOUR YEARS.
I mean, really, this woman cannot possibly be shocked when there’s a negative side to the money/publicity machine. There is one. And you’re seeing it here. What would have been a mom swatting her kid in the driveway (happens alllll the time) is now caught in freeze frame and looks pretty bad (look at the kid’s face) and is all over the cover of a magazine.
The Gosselins made a HUGE mistake when they decided to sell their children’s private lives for money four years ago. And I have the feeling this is just the beginning of the “biting them in the butt” process.
I don’t think spanking is wrong. I think people who think spanking is wrong are nuts. I mean sorry, but spanking a child does not induce them to act out more or become bad people in society. As a matter of fact, I know kids who have NEVER been spanked, been quite spoiled actually, and come out to be drug addicts. I believe no child is a bad child, there is a reason why they come out to act bad. I don’t think it’s because they were “spanked”. Give me a break! When I messed up, I got whacked! And guess what…I stopped doing what I was doing to get whacked! My parents loved me with all that they had. I have to say I believe if you don’t discipline your children then you’re not showing them you care about them enough to teach them the lessons of life.
IMO I don’t think there is anything wrong w/ a spat on the butt. However, I do not think it is ok to hit a child w/ an object.
When we would sass my mom she would ever so lightly tap our lips. Oh, I cannot tell you how much more effective that was than a scolding sometimes. We shut up and thought better of our words the next time.
Now, denying that little girl water…that was BS.
I don’t care for this show, I’ve never watched it. I caught it one time when they were on the couch and Kate was being such a heifer to Jon that I changed channels. I do think that they need to cancel the show. These two parents need to focus on their children. It’s obvious that it’s falling down around their ears and they aren’t coming out looking like angels let alone nice people.
Plus, Kate’s hair is HIDEOUS!
anastasiabeav – very well said. 🙂
nothing wrong w a little spanking. That’s a huge difference bitween a light spanking and beat the hell up.
My sister and I grew just fine. My husband as well. We don’t beat up old folks or anything like that.
It’s clear that Kate is only able to communicate using anger, whether she’s yelling at someone or hitting them. It’s an unfortunate and ineffective way to deal with children and adults.
anastasiabea – great point about their show – it’s funny that what they have portrayed for the past 4 years seems to be very far from the truth. They have made millions from the TV Show, endorsements, and books based on what seems to be a big fat lie.
My goodness – she goes to churches and places preaching on how to be a great parent – I don’t think she was getting paid by these people to tell them that spanking is o.k.
Again, it’s NOT ABOUT whether spanking is right or wrong.
It’s about the fact that this very bad publicity is the result of their very bad choice to expose their lives to the world and then her horrible entitled selfish attitude the public has seen for a while now. (And I was being nice in my description of her. He’s just a lame-o, but probably a much better parent than her.)
i dont like her either and think she’s a greedy brat, but come on. she spanked her kid, big deal. kids need a spanking every now and then and she shouldnt be scrutinized for everything she does. i think making judgments about her and jon’s relationship is fine, as is making judgments on whether this show should go on or whether is is going to be damaging to the kids in the long run and whether they should have to take part in their parent’s enrichment plans is all fine, but scrutinizing the way Kate parents and making judgment calls about her being a bad mom for the day to day choices she makes with respect to discipline is just unfounded and stupid. making her out to be a 100% total abusive monster is beyond the pale.
Marie – my mom used to punish my brother and I if we back talked by sticking a new bar of soap in our mouths…while no permanent damage was done would any of you ever do that to any child?
So those of you who think this spanking isn’t any big deal, I must ask: do you not see the pattern? She denies her child water on tape, she makes one sleep on an entire other floor than the rest of the family, she spanks her children in front of the paps, and the rumor is she spanks them in private with a kitchen utensil. She’s rarely photographed smiling at or hugging her children. On the show, she yells at and berates the children, and her husband, all the time. (I haven’t seen a clip where she’s loving and supportive, ever.) The woman is a walking billboard for how not to raise children or have a family, if you want the members emotionally secure and happy.
Maybe you turned out okay because you had the rest of the “package” with loving-acting parents. She definitely isn’t that.
Wow- did none of you ever get spankings? No wonder there are so many spoiled brats with no boundaries running around.. There IS a difference between HITTING and SPANKING. I can’t stand this woman, but I think this is headline is totally unfair. I don’t have kids and my parents did spank us.. It is not child abuse and I believe there is a time and a place for it.
Marie – my mom used to punish my brother and I if we back talked by sticking a new bar of soap in our mouths…while no permanent damage was done would any of you ever do that to any child in this day and age? Are we ever going to advance as a society?
A light spanking when a child runs out into the middle of the road into traffic…warranted.
A spanking for blowing a whistle? UNWARRANTED.
big deal she spanked her child……..true kate has other values and practices that may be very questionable but i think that we need to draw the line here….i was spanked as a child and i turned out just fine…..she has eight of them to control…..of course the kid will be screaming and crying thus blowing the pic even way out of proportion making kate seem like a monster who abuses her children.but come on……wat child does not cry incontrolaby and over does it when they get a spanking?????????? leave her alone in this case i say…….
Absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with spanking to discipline a child. That is a method of discipline that has literally been used throughout human history; it’s only the recent generations that have magically decided that spanking constitutes abuse. Nonsense. Spankings are perfectly fine; beatings are not.
I do spank my kids — not with spoons but a light swift in the pants. I don’t do it with my 15 year old because he’s bigger than I am, but he is very respectful — plus he has grown out out his brat years long time ago. My 9 year-old daughter can be very stubborn at times and is very immature emotionally sometimes and she gets her butt swapped when she does get out of line or talks back to me.
Oh c’mon, like all of you are the perferct parents, right? Kate wasn’t beating the child to death. Get over it already. Spanking is not illegal! You try raising 8 kids and see how you handle it all. SO quick to judge.
caitlinsmommmy – in what country is it Illegal to spank your kids???
Thank God PA condones corporal punishment. (AND I’m NOT being facetious)
p.s I have had to beat the tar out of my kids before. And trust, they had it coming. Better I beat them now then have them take it up the **s in juvie or prison!!!
This whole situation is getting crazy. We all know that Kate has anger and control issues, and now that it is more visable she seems to be getting angerier.
TLC should pull the show, if for no other reason than to protect themselves from the bad publicity that all of this is bringing to them.
I feel bad for the children. Not just because of how they are being treated (forced to be cash cows), but because these pictures and stories will follow them for the rest of their lives. (Oh, you’re Leah Gosselin? I remember seeing a picture of your mom spanking you.)
Jon is no saint, but I think that he wanted out of the show, and Kate refused. Their relationship is failing, and he doesn’t want to air it on t.v., but she darn well wants that money.
Just a sad situation, that isn’t going to get better anytime soon.
@ Amy I totally agree.
Agree with spankings or not, do you all spank for blowing a whistle or do you just take the whistle away when they don’t stop blowing it. If you spank, do you spank for every infraction or do you use other displine and save spanking for serious stuff? I am asking this because I really want to know how you use this form of discipline?
If this story is true she is spanking her child for blowing a whistle OUTSIDE. This is not misbehavior but normal 5 yr old behavior. Spanking her seems a bit harsh to me. If the whistle is annoying you then you take it away.
Nope, I’ve never spanked my kids, and I’m not nuts. I was also never spanked. My mother was never spanked.
From what I’ve seen, the best way to make discipline (be it spankings or time outs) effective is by being consistently attentive and loving. It’s the withdrawal of approval that is hard for children. I’ve seen many a spanked child repeat behaviours because the spanking IS the attention they get from their parents.
But there’s the rub. I’m in a luxurious position that I can be home with the kids the bulk of the time, hugging, playing and laughing. I’m not trying to hold down two jobs and parent. I’m not utterly exhausted. I personally think that our governments need to step up to the plate and make sure that families get the necessary resources to make happy, healthy children.
Although I think Kate is a freak, I am not raising 8 kids with an imploding marriage and the threat of my income being lost. So I don’t want to attack her for getting to her wit’s end.
@LEN Fysical, really?
@CRAZINESS……Why that would be WAY too sensical! I kid, I’m w/you.
For all you ADULTS out there who think it is o.k. to spank a child – from the dictionary.
Spank: to strike (a person, usually a child) with the open hand, a slipper, etc., esp. on the buttocks, as in punishment.
I would think that in this day and age an Adult can find better ways to discipline a child and I would think that you would want to led and teach your child by example – not by striking it.
With that said, it is my firm belief that spanking should be an act kept behind closed doors between consenting adults.
Parents teach (or should teach) discipline to their kids. However, discipline has to come with reasons that the child can understand (forget about “because I said so” — it’s better to spank saying “I’m doing this because what you did is wrong” rather than saying “go to your room, please, because I said so”). Sometimes words with kids aren’t enough, and the kids *need* to know that their parent’s aren’t “above spanking” or they’ll take advantage of them (like you see many kids doing). I remember my granny spanking me TWICE, and always obeying her because 1) I knew she had reasons for her discipline and 2) I knew she wasn’t afraid of enforcing it. Nowadays all of this “do your homework please” and similar BS teach the kid that it’s the kid who decides not the parent. Which obviously isn’t great parenting to begin with. As for Kate, she’s obviously a b*tch however I like that she doesn’t hide behind “being proud of her kids” as a source of self-esteem (like many parents, especially moms, are fond of doing) but she actually works hard at becoming famous and rich for herself. Maybe too ambitious, but always better than “playing St mom”.
The Duggars spank their kids call CPS Spare the rod spoil the child
Disclaimer: I have given my kids an occasional smack.
However, they have never looked like that afterwards. She must have given one hell of a smack. And it’s not just the smack itself, “she pushed her away and walked off with her coffee”.. what a wench.
My evil-mother side would have taken the whistle off the child and threatened to stomp on it. But see, then that might have been more traumatic.
I had friends who went to a catholic high school where they were sometimes given the choice of punishment – a couple of whacks with a cane (god that sounds so barbaric in print) or a couple of days of detention… 9/10 went with the cane…. of course these were teenage boys not kindergarteners.
Hey gigohead – the next time your 9 year old talks back to you – don’t spank her – for goodness sake, put a bar of soap in her mouth – that will teach her!
I think the evolution in disciplining a child has gotten to be completely out of hand. When my dad grew up, he and his siblings knew not to cross my grandfather because they would get the belt or the wooden spoon. When I was younger, I knew I’d get a spanking from dad if I wasn’t careful enough or I stepped way out of line. (Granted as I got older the spankings went away and turned into more of a hot sauce on the tongue or soap in the mouth.) It seems like nowadays parents are so scared because of Child Services and kids threatening to call them that are old enough to know what it is, that people think spanking is all of a sudden the worst punishment ever…
I think anyone would agree that a spanking here or there is not necessarily abuse, it’s a form of discipline that has been around forever and has been proven effective. I think a spanking is needed sometimes. There comes a point when a time-out corner isn’t cutting it. When you think of child abuse, you don’t think of a silly spanking, you think of kids getting badly beaten up time and time again, constantly having unexplained bruises, broken bones, etc.
Give Kate a break. Children scream before they get spanked and right after. They’re upset that they got spanked in the first place and it doesn’t have anything to do with a pain factor.
@ Shelly- you spank your NIECES? They’re not even your children! If anyone ever touched my children (whom I would never, EVER spank) I would take care of them pretty quickly.
Hitting children to keep them in line is for parents who can’t communicate well enough to teach children to behave for the right reasons. I’m not surprised to see Kate spanking one of her children because she’s never been able to discipline them without screaming and panicking.
two words people, ……dreamin demon. Google it.
now THAT’s what I would call abuse.
Hey, I’ve been spanked, with a hand, wooden spoons (which have been broken over my butt), with belts…and I’m now a healthy, productive, happy adult. No hard feelings, no regrets, I love my parents to death. I was a horrible child who deserved to be spanked.
Jag, you put my own thoughts into words perfectly. I came from a childhood of emotional and physical abuse.
I can understand why some people think a swat on the butt is okay. If you were spanked, but otherwise given a loving and supportive home, then you probably turned out just fine and can’t see what the big deal is.
For some of us, this incident isn’t just about spanking. It’s just another part of an overall pattern of disturbing behavior.
I bet Paris, Lindsay and Lily Allen never got spanked. Well, by their parents anyway.
I got spanked and I thank God whenever I see a spoiled brat who whines and does whatever they think they can, that I did. To me it’s within reason as long as it not out right abuse. There’s a difference.
i do not use spanking but so what she taught her kid a listen it is a pity she did not do it to mady sooner.
@Ridiculous: My mom’s family in the 50s were allowed to hit anyone’s children any time they felt like the kid was getting out of line. As a matter of fact, any parent or older adult in the neighborhood could spank a child if they felt that they were misbehaving in some way or had done some mischief regarding their property.
The point I guess is that it was not uncommon years ago and it certainly isn’t uncommon now.
Very small children do not understand “Please do this” “please don’t do that”. If they want to do something they aren’t supposed to do, they’ll do it regardless of how much a parent pleads with them not to. Even if you explain why you don’t want them to do whatever it is, they don’t get it.
Naturally though, not all kids are the same and not all families are the same. My mom stopped spanking me when I was about 10 when I turned on my side and all she got was a handful of hip bone. After that, it was pinching. My Aunt Ann was allowed to spank us if we acted up at her house and I’ll tell you what, now I treat her with the greatest respect and admiration and I love and adore her for being so hard-lined and not putting up with any BS.
Spanking, in addition to love, affection and positive reinforcement, is a perfectly normal way of punishing a child. I never got swatted without reason. I have never had issues with my mom and I do not have any problems with the way she disciplined me and my sisters when we were young.
That said, I think Kate is crazy. She seems to hate her children not because she spanks them but because she ignores them and doesn’t treat them like little people but like little puppies or something-it’s weird.
I’ve nothing against smacking a kid, as I’ve said before, dunno if I’d do it or not as I have no kids…BUT…this woman just seems like a nasty piece of work, that kid is bawling her eyes out, she’s got her by the arm which must be painful for her too – it just seems a bit much…if you don’t want her blowing the frickin’ whistle then just take it away from her already.
My parents repremanded my sister and I with spanking, if we did something wrong repeatedly. It worked!! They would tell us that we had to stand there, facing away from them, they’d smack our behinds and that was the end of it. I never ever thought, nor do I think that it was abuse.
It served its purpose, we learned our lessons. I really think there is a fine line, and some people take it too far, but I don’t see this mom spanking her daughter as anything other than fair punishment-if the plastic spoons are right, well those can’t hurt as bad as a hand to the rear end….
Okay – is it possible to look at it in non black and white terms?
I have a friend who has got to be the best parent I know. She inherited a troubled 3 y.o. stepdaughter. The child’s natural mother was a meth addict. And I mean, this child was TROUBLED. She set up a really steady routine with her and loved her constantly. But she also, on occaision, spanked her. When nothing else worked. Today she’s one of the best, most together teenagers I have ever seen. She just radiates someone who knows she’s loved.
I don’t think there are absolutes in this area. I think different children might need different approaches. I have a 10 month old – I don’t plan on spanking – I plan on removal of priveleges as a punishment. But I’m not going to turn myself into CPS if I do.
I don’t agree with spanking but if a parent smacks a CLOTHED behind with an open hand, it’s none of my business. But when they start using weapons, like spoons and belts, that’s wrong. By the way, I have rarely seen a picture of Kate Gosselin that she doesn’t have those two frown lines between her eyes. She is going to need some serious botox someday. Like my mother used to say “Keep making that face and it will stay that way!”
There are a LOT of posts in this and I will admit to not reading most of them, so if I do repeat something, I apologize.
The punishment needs to fit the crime. You do not smack a kid for blowing a whistle, but you definitely take that whistle away. You warn a child when they swear and if they continue, then you give ’em a spank.
The idea is to establish a balance between loving and authoritative. I think it’s quite possible to be scared to death of your mom (omg am I ever…) and yet love her immensely and still have conversations with her and trust her with things.
We have this joke in my house that it’s my mom you gotta worry about, not my dad.
And speaking of Child Services. Pfft! That shit never scared my mom. You know what she would do? She’d hand me the phone.
All she had to do was take the whistle away and tell her why and stick her in time out if she had a prior warning. Spanking the kid in front of everyone like that was Kate showing her lack of self control and abuse of power.
Spanking a child is forbidden in my country, you can lose custody and even go to jail…ad this woman, spanking her little daughter for blowing a whistle?? Children play… Just take the whistle away if it bothers you. and pick on someone your own size…
I think that there are appropriate times to spank. However, I don’t think what Leah did is one of those. (If she really did blow a whistle. The story could be wrong but let’s just go with it.)
If my child blew a whistle after I told him or her to stop I would simply take the whistle away. I mean come on, that’s common sense right? Now if your kid is doing something that might enganger him or her then a spanking is sometimes warrented. I think that sometimes (not all the time! But esp in Kate’s case) people just get lazy and use spanking as punishment because it’s quick and she can take her frustration out on her children. Not spanking your children does not make them grow up to be little demons. Take Kate for example, she spanks and her children disrespect her and talk back to her.
Spanking doesn’t work with every child. I have quite the hardheaded pesonality (that a lot of Kate’s children have as well) so when I got spanked for something I didn’t learn right from wrong. All I learned was how not to get caught. I also agree that spanking a child for hitting another child is counterproductive. I read a study in my psychology book that completely made sense. Once after getting spanked with a telephone cord I was so angry that I turned around and kicked my dad. Of course I got spanked again, but it was soooo worth it at the time.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject as my daughter gets older and gets into more mischief. I think that the whiney kids you see at the supermarket that have no respect for their parents are a result of lazy parenting. A child whines so in order to stop them they give in. Soon the child knows that no matter what, they can get their way. They have no respect for their parents. My 11 cries if she doesn’t get her way already. I just patiently wait it out. That is if she is wanting something trivial like playing with my digital camera not if she’s hungry or something. Just being clear.
So you may or may not spank your child but both forms can have children that “come out okay.” I believe it’s not black and white. It has to do with other factors like if you do it consistantly, if you explain to them how their actions are wrong, and how much love and affection you show them.
I am rambling because this is just my theory and I’m sorry if I’ve repeated what other posters have said because I only read a few comments.
I agree with the poster that said it’s weird they have all that land and she makes them play in the front of the house. But I don’t agree with spanking another person’s child. I would not like it if someone else spanked my child. Not even her grandparents.
@ Kimble: Very good point! It does seem that the spanking is more a release of steam for the spanker than thoughtfully applied discipline f/b/o child. I have never articulated that concept fully , so I appreciate your doing so.
Don’t have kids but I dtaed a guy w/a young child for 2 years. In addition to the fact that I would never lay my hands on another person’s child (obvs) I never saw the utility…figured it would escalate an already emotionally-charged situation. And dear goodness a child is so much SMALLER…how can you get physical with someone who is weaker than you?!?!!? I’d feel like a criminal.
Yes, I was spanked as a child, and I’ve been quite successful in life. Call me a wimp but the memories of my spankings are humiliating and are a barrier between me and the spanker today.
She is totally going to have those lines in her forehead! She is always bunching her brows together.
I really dislike the way she stands with her pelvis stuck out. If she turns sideways and smile she would be doing the Paris Hilton pose.
And my earlier comment was supposed to say “11 month old.”
Never was hit. Never will hit.
My brother, who had a nice temperment as a child, was beaten repeatedly by my father with a belt. He is a stalked me, raped an elderly woman, and according to my mother has been physically violent with his wife. He always identified with my father.
I’m not speaking for everyone, but in my case, and in my neighborhood (nice working class) I saw the devastating effects of physical violence against children. Two women (in 2 separate families with physical abuse issues) committed suicide. My sister and other women became involved with violent men.
When you teach children that hitting them is an answer to a problem, you are also teaching them to value violence as a solution.
She is wrongwrongwrong!
Peace.
Come on people don’t you know what this mom is doing???? She is making sure her childrens adult lives are going to be well financed. Those kids will all be able to write a tell all book about their upbringing and will make lots of money. She is only thinking of their happyness.
Yes, I am just kidding!
Don’t pull plug on show , every one will
loose intrest and meadia will not
cover it ad Kate needs to be watched
she could for real hurt the kids
Spike: With all due respect, the abuse your brother suffered, and ultimately repeated, was obviously far more severe than an occasional swat on the behind. And I absolutely agree with you that physical abuse is a horrendous act, but there’s a line between said abuse and spanking.
On another note, it really annoys me when people get on these boards and preach what they believe is the “best” way to parent. Every child is different, and as a result, there is no one way to properly discipline a child. For example, my kids respond best to timeouts, but more stubborn children might require a swat on the bum to get the message across. And assuming there was no true physical abuse happening, I would never judge a parent for doing what they feel is right. Good parents take the time to understand their children, so when it comes to discipline, they really are the best ones to determine the most effective course of action.
I see nothing wrong w/light smack on the bottom.
so what if your child burned your curtains because while you were bringing in the groceries they were striking matches…ummm you just give them a time out or no tv for a week.
I say a light smack on the bottom or leg lets the child know you mean business, espcially if their behavior is endangering the family.
to lecture a 3 yo is ludricious.
they are her kids as long as she is not abusing them, let her alone.
It would piss me off that the media was watching me like that but then again I would never have the world watching me on tv.
All I see is the look on that child’s face. She did not deserved to be spanked in public for such a small infraction. My reaction to her not listening would have been to take the whistle from her – whistling stopped – end of story. That sweet little girl would have gotten the message loud and clear.
I have 3 adult children who are all good citizens today and I didn’t ever need to spank. Discipline yes – Spank no. While they are not perfect (who is) they are all healthy and productive members of society.
@ william: Troll much?
Am I the only one who feels quite uncomfortable with a magazine publishing photos of a 5-year-old girl with her dress up? I mean, I know it’s not a bare bottom shot, but this still seems to be crossing a serious line.
where is the husband these days? he never seems to be around. as for the spanking…who knows? we weren’t there. but the gosselins need to stop filming and lay low for awhile before their children are psychologically damaged from all this media crap.
I think Kate’s control issues, OCD moments, obviously superficial wants and ‘needs’, her very money focused mind set, bad temper and bouts of yelling are actually more damaging to their kids than an occasional (well lets HOPE its occasional) swat on the behind. Its also very disturbing to watch her constantly belittling the man she was supposed to love and want to spend the rest of her life with…. in front of all America AND 8 eager little growing sponges who will think that is an accepted way of treating a future husband or wife. I cant watch the show anymore. Its not even slightly amusing. The only thing i can think of, is that she is teaching her kids far more than the good and wholesome family life and has written and bragged about. One day they will be able to watch these episodes whether she wants them to or not. Does she want them seeing her show all the world it is ok to play pretend about love and family just to make another dollar?
I don’t think spanking is inherently bad, though it can be abused like pretty much ANYTHING ELSE. Anyone here been sent to their room for 16 hours?
Bad parents are bad parents, regardless of the disciplinary methods.
Spanking is effective with some kids, not all–because they’re all different. And it’s only effective if the kid knows beforehand what’s going to earn them a spanking, knows why they are getting one, and the parent doesn’t do it in anger. Annoyance, frustation–that’s normal. But outright anger doesn’t make the child learn to behave, it makes them learn not to make mommy mad. This applies to any disciplinary method.
If you have to spank your kid very often, obviously you need to find another solution, because it’s not doing any good.
It is NOT okay for the child to be disrespectful and ignore a direct request from a parent to stop an annoying behaviour. Get over yourselves. It was a swat. She is not going to be a teenage runaway because of it!
I was spanked as a child. I can count on one hand how many times my mom had to swipe at me. I learned pretty quick that there are things you don’t do and didn’t need to be spanked much after that. I’ll probably spank my kids as well.
From this story, it sounds like the child was asked to stop and when she didn’t she was spanked. I see no problem with that. That is how she chose to handle it and we weren’t there to witness it. She spoke first, wasn’t listened to so she tap her bottom. I’ve also seen children cry worse than that for less than that. No spanking even involved.
When it turns into actual abuse without a doubt then I’ll worry about it but for now I don’t think its cause for an uproar.
Can someone please explain to me how you explain to a kid that it’s ok for you to hit them (and frankly this great nuance between a smack on the bum and hitting does NOT register with a 4 year old) and why it’s not ok for them to hit others? (oh and please go beyond the “because I’m the parent” excuse, that really doesn’t jive)
And for those who justify the spanking with the ‘they are too young to understand english’ excuse, at what age then do you decide to stop spanking? When they ‘understand english’, when they are fast enough to run away or when they are big enough to sock you back?
I’m really not being rhetorical at all here, I’m just talking to those who think spanking should be a habitual form of punishment, because I would like to understand their thought process.
Where is the husband in all this? He frigging bailed on his own family. Hitting is always about power and control. Of course, there are a lot of spare the rod and spoil the child folks here.
it’s fine! move the eff on… this country and its pansyness really irks me…
I really hate them. WHY did they have so MANY kids? Are their genes that special? They have more kids, fame and money than they know what to do with. Both of them are horrible. She seems like a control-freak and a nasty bully, while he seems like a weak, lazy, man-child who won’t grow up. AWFUL. Those poor, poor kids.
I used to preach on and on about how kids NEED to be spanked until I had my own child 5 years ago. Before I had kids, I was fairly certain I would spank at some point and was not really anti-spanking or pro-spanking one way or the other. Wow, has parenting changed me – spanking absolutely DOES NOT WORK for my child. In every single case there was a different alternative that would have been more effective for proving our point to my son. So, I have spanked, my husband has spanked, and we have regretted it every time because it made our son MORE upset, MORE belligerent and less likely to listen to what we were trying to teach him. In this case, what the parent should have done was REMOVE THE OFFENDING OBJECT – the whistle should have been taken from the child if they were told not to blow it anymore and continued to do it! Sure the kid’s going to throw a fit when you remove the whistle but let them. It is better than spanking her, showing her that physical force is the preferred way of solving problems. I’m no parenting pro but I can say with confidence that in most cases there is probably a better way.
So she’s spanking her kids… OH WELL. It’s her kids! I’d spank mine if it was warranted.
She didnt do anything wrong! I think the Gosslins need to hang this show up ASAP!! Its destroying their family and its just not worth it…The tabloids are looking for ANYTHING to write about. This is something innocent that was blown way out of proportion and its just ridiculous.
I totally agree with Tazina!
If she can’t handle Leah or any of her other children without violence i can take them.the point of parenting is to teach the child right and wrong.not to have them live in fear because you can’t take the noise of a whisle or whatever crazy thing is happening.those are your meal tickets.the cute kids are the only reason anyone watches that show.I was abused and have to live with the fear and now never ever hit anyone especialy a kid.
Ok…for SOME people spanking works, for SOME it doesn’t. Why all the lecturing? I was swatted maybe half a dozen times (more often wasn’t necessary: I learnt my lesson for whatever the given offense was, usually being beligerent or a smart ass)as a child by my strict British father. Now I’m an adult. I don’t hit people, why would I? I wasn’t taught that “violence is ok” simply from an occasional swat on the butt. My dad was strict but loving. To me (and yes, this is just my personal opinion) this is ideal parenting. I would do the same. If you don’t agree, that’s cool. Different patenting styles for different folks. Unclench, everyone.
“I personally think that our governments need to step up to the plate and make sure that families get the necessary resources to make happy, healthy children.”
You are out of your freakin’ mind if you think it is in any way appropriate for the government to be MORE involved with our personal lives! We do not need to teach our kids that it is the governments’ role to provide us with our daily needs, etc. What a horrible, horrible idea.
This must be so embarassing for the child to be photographed on a magazine cover being smacked on the behind. Did Kate arrange for this public humiliation of Leah as well to rake in some more $$$ for manicures and surgeries? Send her on a tour to the middle east and let Jon take over, the kids would be alot happier.
My siblings and I were never spanked. Spanking is for adults who lack the ability to communicate with their child. Kindness breeds kindness, thus violence breeds violence. Respect your children enough to teach them right from wrong through modeling the behavior and explaining with words. Yes in history people hit other people because they did not have the knowledge or intelligence that we have in this day and age. Be kind to your kids and they will be kind in return. I am the mother of the coolest four year old boy there is and he has never been touched
There is a certain age where spanking becomes ineffective, ( around the age of 4or5), when the child is at the age of reasoning. Obviously Kate was lashing out at the child in anger. I would have put the phone down, went to the child, took the whistle away and put the child in a chair to wait for the remainder of my phone call.After the phone call she would have some explaining to do, and the whistle would be put up for the week. I would explain phone “manners”, perfect chance to do so. Parenting is about guiding and teaching, not hitting and raging.If the child sees you constantly loosing control they`ll be mimicking that behaviour…after all children are a reflection of their parents, ( from my experience as a nanny for many years I`ve noticed this).Kate is agressive, out of control, demeaning, and out right selfish. Maddy is a reflection of Kate.Maddy is constantly hitting, yelling, raging, needing attention, grabbing….lots of anti social behaviour. Smacking seem to be the norm with Maddy and Kate. Poor Jon, and the other family members are being abused by these two abusers.
Wasn’t she also the one caught on tape in the car wash spraying her daughter with the hose.you’d think by that point she would have gotten her kids taken away from her.Shes been on Cele bitchy more than once. Now that’s sad. now parents are starting to go crazy its like every parent is starting to unlove there child. Cause some are getting left on the streets, some are getting killed and most are getting abused. And Kate and Octomom are the best examples. Kate is abusing her daughter and octomom is just well just unfit to be a parent at all.
That Mady is the only one of those kids that need a good smacking, she is terrible a true attention seeker at her young age, “there is nothing wrong with disciplining YOUR kids” my 11 year old said this after seeing it on the new (from the mouth of babes) the rod of correction will drive that foolishness totally out of her.
a.) if this was me or Joe Blow, no one would give a rat’s ass.
b.) don’t you spank your kids?
c.) kids these days dont get spanked enough, thats why there are so many heathens running around shooting up school, ect.
Pam of Flint Knits has a really, really freaking cute new pattern out, Willie, a little kid sweater with an adorable weiner dog wrapped around the bottom. Willie came into
Seems to me parents need to refocus, and correct their own behavior modeling. I see parents acting worse than chldren, and I see parents who teach their children to act-out because they do themselves. The government or legal system, or school should not have to raise your kids. Spanking or not.