How much did your generation get spanked?

I am a millennial who grew up in the 90's when spanking was still around but steadily declining in popularity. In the early to mid 90's my parents spanked our bare bottoms but largely stopped doing so by the time the late 90's came around. It feels like social attitudes towards spanking shifted pretty hard during my very childhood and I wonder if my generation may be the last where most of us know what a sore bottom feels like. I suspect younger generations won't relate.

While I did get spanked as a kid, I know that what I experienced is nothing in comparison to previous generations who grew up when bare bottom spanking was the norm in most households and even commonly administered by authority figures other than one's own parents (such as teachers, babysitters, etc). There's no doubt that baby boomers were spanked much harder and more frequently than Gen Xers who themselves were spanked harder and more often than us millennials and so on.

I'm very close in age to you. When I become a babysitter at the age of 16, in the mid 00's, a few of the parents I would babysit for were pro bare-bottom spanking. The parents insisted it should be used if deemed necessary as a punishment especially if I were watching their kids alone all day while they were at work, and I did enact it a few times.

Growing up in the 50’s, spanking was very common- I tried to behave, as I knew being bare assed over my mother’s lap, and her wielding her favorite hairbrush hurt like hell! Most memorable spanking was the result of me and a pal sticking 4 or 5 kittens in a burlap bag, swinging it around our heads as fast as we could and then dumping them out. These kittens were probably 7-8 weeks old, and we thought it was hilarious to see them dizzy, staggering around and bumping into one another. We really didn’t think it would hurt them, and we hadn’t come up with anything quite as entertaining as these kittens. My mom caught us, and was definitely not amused. She immediately sent me to fetch her hair brush, and both my pal and I were humiliated as we had to pull down our trousers and shorts, and take 10 of her best on our bare butts. Needless to say, we pretty cautious in the future and mostly managed to avoid the dreaded hairbrush.

Spanking was seldom used in our family back in the fifties. I only remember once other than an occasional firm pat on the rump. We didn’t talk about it in school as far as I knew.

In 70s in my country spanking was as common as time in corner or other punishment restrictions. Even some girls had that experience let alone most of the boys had it at least occasionally. The society attitude was so favourable towards this that sometimes a boy could be spanked by a neighbour if that was considered as justified. At the same time, spankings were not generally allowed at schools. Corporal punishment could be seen only in boarding schools. Unlike in the west, where boarding schools have always been for elite kids, in Soviet Union mostly kids from underprivileged families would go to a boarding school.

I was born in the mid sixties which was the start of Gen X. Spanking was pretty common growing up and I was spanked a few times. In those days, it was also common to get a spanking from others such as babysitters, relatives and even your friends parents. In the school system, no spankings were given but getting the strap on the hand occurred a lot.

I probably got spanked at several times a week, maybe more often (daily during some periods) and by various people. Mum, dad, cousin, grandparents, aunts and uncles and even friends parents could and would sometimes give me a no doubt well deserved wallop. It'd be no good going back to cry to mum or dad about it either because that would only result in another HARDER spanking from them for getting into trouble in the first place. I only really got spanked by hand and mostly just over my fully clothed bottom. My dad and particularly my male cousin were the ones to bare my bottom and sometimes in public too (my dad took my trousers and pants down in a supermarket and upended me for a very hard spanking when I was 5 for biting him). As a parent I have spanked and keep the option in my disciplinary toolbox but nowhere near as regularly as I was, neither as hard and whereas I could never get out of a spanking if it was threatened, my lad on the other hand (who can talk for England and negotiate and argue his case as to why he shouldn't get his bottom warmed up like a professional) will sometimes make me laugh or even agree with him and thus escape a smacked bum.

I grew up in a Christian home that believed in spanking as a correction for misbehavior. Not much was tolerated and my sister and I knew the simple rules and what was considered worthy of receiving a spanking that was always on our bare bottoms by only my mother (plus a couple of times by my grandmother}. The spankings were not done in anger or impatience on her part and always with a great deal of love and comforting afterwards along with encouragement to do better in the future. The spankings were with her hand but occassionally if the transgression was more serioius or repeated, the dreaded hairbrush or paddle would come out. Regardless, let me assure the readers that all three "implements" were served well as our bottoms were always at least pink if not red when she finished our spankings. I was born in the late70's and I know by that time spanking was on a steep decline but not at our house. No one outside our house ever knew my sister and I were spanked when called for as we sure did not tell anyone and my mom told us that she would never share with anyone not even our aunt. Funny as it might sound, I believe our "correctins" served me to feel a very close bond with my mom even to this day. She even spanked me one time when I was 42 while in her house for uttering an innocent cuss word (Damn) in a faint whisper that she heard, after breaking a vase while in their house. But that is another story for another day that we both laugh about now, but let me assure you readers that she still had what it takes to deliver the message!! lol Denise

I grew up in a town in Ontario Canada in the late 60's 70's and spanking was alive and well!! My sisters and I were primarily spanked by our father who was a police officer in our town great Dad but very strict. Spankings were usually given in our rooms with a lecture then pants down over his knee for a bare bum spanking with his hand. I went to a Catholic school and I still remember a teacher in grade 8 ask how many got or still get spanked and the majority of guys and girls raised their hands! The teacher then said "God gave you padding on your bum for a reason! In high school I started dating my wife who was also spanked the same way by her father. Four times our transgressions in teen years resulted in both of us getting spanked that evening at home. I was also at her house when her sister got a very memorable spanking!! PM me if anyone would like to chat more and share memories!

I'm from the generation that got spanked in the 70's and 80's. Spanking was quite common in my country at that time. They were officially condemned, but almost all parents did it. However, there were large differences in the use of spanking. There were parents who beat their children for minor offenses, often unfairly or too cruelly.

My mother used spanking as punishment. However, it was always a justified and fair punishment. The spanking was painful, I was afraid of it and I didn't like it. However, the pain was appropriate to my age and guilt.

Funny as it might sound, I believe our "correctins" served me to feel a very close bond with my mom even to this day.

I also believe that spanking created a certain bond between parent and child. It was a shared secret between me and my mother. It was some kind of unwritten agreement. Being scared, I could defend myself against beatings. However, my mother convinced me to do so not by force, but by arguments. I agreed with her that I was guilty and deserved corporal punishment. I was preparing for the spanking myself - I was baring my buttocks and taking positions. My mother witnessed my fear and pain. But then I felt freed from guilt and cleansed.

In the '60s and '70s, when I was growing up, spanking was ubiquitous! And by spanking I mean the old fashioned, over the knee, bare bottom form of discipline! At least the in the small mid-west town in which I was raised, anyway! Life was very traditional and conservative with a small c! We attended church regularly, participated in many church socials and related activities, had chores to do, were expected to work hard at school and get good grades and had to mind our manners, elders and betters and generally behave ourselves! Spankings were a big part of our lives as well! Mom's Hairbrush (my Aunt Roses as well) and Dad's hand and sometimes belt, always loomed large in our lives! My upbringing, as well as that of my siblings and cousins, was by no means unusual for the times; indeed, it was fairly typical in the community in which I lived!

@lukkas

I probably got spanked at several times a week, maybe more often (daily during some periods) and by various people. Mum, dad, cousin, grandparents, aunts and uncles and even friends parents could and would sometimes give me a no doubt well deserved wallop

What in the world did you do, could you have done, that warranted several spankings a week? I am trying to imagine what a kid could do, but cannot imagine what the reasons could have been for such frequent spankings.

I was in the middle of spankings slowly dissappearing. We heard so much about kids being beat up bad by parents or others. It was in 1980s to 1990s. This is when society turned away from spanking kids. A few bad apples changed everything. I was spanked and never beat. My parents did it out of love for me and teaching me a lesson and it showed. My mom did most of my spankings. It was always bare butt with her hand. She hit my bottom in a way it stung and burned just a little bit. I usually cried and fussed as you can imagine. Here is the thing my mom did that is I believe the correct way to use spankings. First never too hard to induce too much pain otherwise it's a beating. Next is what my mom did is stop as I was crying to explain what I did and what I should have done instead. Then when I told her I understood as I was crying she said she loved me so much. Then a few more harder smacks on my bottom as she said Eric now don't do this again ok. Then my pants were put back on and she hugged me as I had tears rolling down my cheeks... In my opinion this is the correct way to spank a child. If this was done it would be ok...

What in the world did you do, could you have done, that warranted several spankings a week? I am trying to imagine what a kid could do, but cannot imagine what the reasons could have been for such frequent spankings.

Lol I was a tearaway, always into mischief, always naughty but a loveable rogue. The type my parents were quick to spank but just as quick to give a hug to. My dad was incredibly strict and my mum very houseproud and quick to get wound up if touched things. I unfortunately made a mess and was always breaking things like ornaments. The outcome? A smacked bottom. The irony is my son can do anything he likes there and all he gets is a big smile and spoilt rotten. I still get told off!

67 year old:

I occasionally received a quick pop on the seat of the pants as a wakeup call that Mom or Dad had grown tired of my behavior. It was not the least bit painful. I only received two sound thrashings while I was growing up. I have one sibling 11 years older than me. By the time I came along I think my parents were rougher to rattle than my big brother had it.

I'm very close in age to you. When I become a babysitter at the age of 16, in the mid 00's, a few of the parents I would babysit for were pro bare-bottom spanking. The parents insisted it should be used if deemed necessary as a punishment especially if I were watching their kids alone all day while they were at work, and I did enact it a few times.

Wow. It's one thing to be pro-spanking, it's another to be so pro-spanking that you expect other caregivers to also spank the bare bottoms of your kids. That sorta thing never would have happened in my home. Although perhaps it would have if I was a boomer or Gen Xer instead of a millennial.

If you don't mind me asking, what region were you babysitting in? It must have been a much more pro-spanking area than where I'm from if it's normal to expect babysitters to spank.

I suppose that being a child of the 50's, spankings were very common. I got more than my share. Enemas were also very common and if I resisted, a spanking preceded an enema in the cold tub. Sometimes my butt was bare and seldom was some type of tool was used (tree branch, ruler, or wooden spoon). As I matured into the 60's, my mom hit me or threw objects at me (plates, glasses, and knives etc.). I was giving myself enemas to avoid mom and grandma's ministrations. My dad travelled, so he was seldom around. Aside from yelling at me sometimes, he didn't hit me or give me enemas.

Denise

Would not mind hearing all the details regarding your spanking at the age of 42.

Was it on your bare behind?

I was born end of the 50's and spent quite a lot of time over my mums lap getting spanked. Grandma delighted in spanking me.

Over time I started to enjoy it, especially when spanked naked in front of visitors. But that's all in the past.

I grew up in the 60's and 70's after 2 warnings you were spanked

I grew up in the 90s, Czech Republic. I got a real spanking about 4 times. Over clothes with a wooden spoon or a leather belt from mom. The last time I was about 10 years old. I heard that my older sister who grew up in the 80s was punished more often. I knew from the conversations among my classmates that I was not the only one who was sometimes punished by a spanking. The mood of society slowly shifted to the opinion that spanking is not an adequate educational tool, but I think most of my peers have encountered it at least once in their lives.

I grew up in a time and place when spanking in the home and paddling at school was extremely commonplace and indeed a part of the culture. So my generation who grew up in the 1050's, got spanked and paddled very frequently. At home, spanking were over dad's lap and over on the bare buttocks. I certainly got my fair share and feel I am no worse the wear for it. I earned very close to every single spanking I got.

Gen X from 1966 to 1980, and Gen Y 1980 to 1995, followed by Gen Z.

So, what's it gonna be now that X, Y and Z have been taken? Are we going to start hearing about Gen A, B and C?

Can't help but feel it's all somewhat needlessly contrived and made up ...

I don't like to think of myself as a boomer, but I guess I am. And from my perspective, (born in 1963), I'd say my generation was spanked plenty! I can't remember a time growing up that I wasn't subject to spankings from my parents, teachers, camp counselors, adult babysitters, friends of my parents, the parents of my friends, etc., etc.! (not to say I got spanked by all of the above! Just that in those days they had that sort of authority). The last time my father whipped me I was 16 and almost as tall as he was.

Spanking was just in the air. I knew exactly one girl who wasn't spanked, and both of her parents were psychologists. Otherwise, the rest of us could be pretty much assured that if we misbehaved, or were disrespectful, or lied, or just got on the wrong side of a parent having a bad day that we could be punished. You saw it in on TV, you saw it school, and you saw it in your own home.

I know there was a wide gamut of how often, what age range, what implement, how severe. But if I take myself as an average late boomer, I got spanked more times then I can count (probably 2 times a week until I started school, and then maybe every week or two until I was 10, and then at least once a month from then until high school, at which point whippings were less frequent but more severe and applied maybe 3 times a year.

So, what's it gonna be now that X, Y and Z have been taken? Are we going to start hearing about Gen A, B and C?

Can't help but feel it's all somewhat needlessly contrived and made up ...

I had heard there are " Gen A's" so maybe.

2010+ is sometimes called Generation Alpha.

2010+ is sometimes called Generation Alpha.

And looking around at some of the rascals produced about that time I'd say that generation would greatly benefit from some HARD spankings!

And looking around at some of the rascals produced about that time I'd say that generation would greatly benefit from some HARD spankings!

Many of them most certainly would, Lukkas!

I really enjoyed reading your post, Dustin! And I completely empathise and identify with everything you have said! I think you have to have lived during those years - '50s, '60s, '70s and to a lesser extent the '80s to realise just what a big part spanking played in the lives of so many kids back then! It may have varied from area to area, region to region, community to community, etc... but the threat of a spanking always seemed to be 'hanging in the air'! And just as often as not that 'threat and possibility' became a painful reality! Like you, just about every kid and teenager I knew got spanked! I knew of a couple of families where spanking was not practiced; one, where both the parents were psychologists and another where the mother was a social worker! Interestingly though, my mom was acquainted with one family where the Mother was also a social worker and although she tried to avoid spanking her kids, even she was forced to admit that the occasional spanking was sometimes necessary! She once remarked to my mother that "because of my vocation I guess I try and avoid spanking; but even I have to admit that every now and again 'a good old fashioned butt warming' definitely does work wonders! Every bit as effective as any book written by Dr Spock!"

Just about everybody seemed to believe in the virtues of old fashioned spanking in those days! As well as adults, older kids also would often exercise their rights, as baby sitters, camp counselors, etc..., to spank! There was a genuine widespread, almost universal belief that spanking was a essential and necessary social practice!

Born in the 50’s mom was the disciplinarian in my family, dad wasn’t around much, Mom would definitely pull my pants and underwear down and pull me accross her knee and tear my bare bottom up. My sister, who was 8 years older than me would also get her share of spankings, mom would have her bare her bottom and bend over and used a belt.

Last spanking from mom I was 14 and she had me pull my pants and underwear down and lay accross the bed and spanked me with a belt, later that year I was staying with an aunt for the summer who spanked me twice using a wooden paddle, both were bare bottom.

I was also paddled in junior high and senior high, always over the pants.