Reply #173: I don't like the two choices you're forcing on me. [View All]

[Igel]

I go with "necessary at times, possibly does a child emotional harm."

My 21 month old kid does not understand reasoning. And yet he wants to do things that are dangerous. It's impossible to keep him from all dangerous things: some are inherent to doing things like walking to the car. He sees a fountain, points, and screams out "pee! pee!", we let him be. Embarrassing, but not dangerous; at least not at his age.

We go for Pavlovian responses. In a typical week he gets slapped a couple of times on his hand. No signs of being a budding axe murderer yet. And he's survived thus far.

I figure we have much longer, and many more increasingly serious ways to mess up and warp his little psyche.