Parenting in 2025: Old-School Whoopins vs. Modern Discipline

There are a few topics that can split a small-town Facebook group faster than politics or potholes. Recently, we stumbled into one of those landmine debates: spanking children.

The Whoopin Era

Now, I grew up in the era when spanking wasn’t a question of “if,” it was a question of “how often.” And if we’re being honest, in my case, it was daily.

My parents could’ve earned frequent flyer miles with how often they were handing out whoopins, and that's not to say my childhood was full of trauma... I was just one of those kids it never worked on. Mom regularly wore out belts, switches, wooden spoons, flip-flops, etc... And once, in one of the most hilarious discipline moments of my childhood, a dishrag. No matter what the weapon of choice was, I’d take my licks and go right back to whatever I wasn’t supposed to be doing before the sting wore off.

My sisters feared the belt and always chose to be grounded instead, but my parents were fair. Once we had our whippins, the moment was over and forgiven and forgotten.

So, from my perspective, whipping wasn’t much of a deterrent. It was more like a weather forecast: “Looks like pain later today, 90% chance of welts.”

That said, I also know plenty of people who swear it “straightened them out,” or at least gave them a healthy respect for their parents’ authority. And that’s the part that makes it such a tricky conversation. What did and didn't work for me isn't the same for everyone.

If the Facebook group comments are any indication, this topic might be more heated than politics.

New Discipline, Same Arguments

These days, a lot of experts argue that there are better ways to discipline kids. Some parents lean into time-outs, grounding, and taking away electronics. Others focus on “positive reinforcement,” which sounds nice, though I can’t help but imagine trying to reason with a 6-year-old hopped up on Kool-Aid and Little Debbie cakes.

Good luck negotiating with that.

Whether you’re for or against it, or somewhere in the middle, here are the truths between the lines...

Raising kids is hard, and every generation thinks the next is doing it all wrong.

Every Generation Thinks the Next Is Softer

My grandparents always talked about how soft they thought our parents were, but their discipline was the definition of abuse these days. My own parents thought they were tough but fair - I still agree with that, and they think we are too soft on our own kids now.

That's probably not too far off.

A lot of folks think the world’s gone too gentle. Meanwhile, kids keep growing up into adults one way or another.

Maybe that’s the real lesson here: what works in one household won’t always work in another. But no matter how you slice it, discipline, whether by whooping or Wi-Fi password, comes from the same place. Parents are trying, in their own way, to raise decent humans.

And in the end, maybe that’s worth remembering before we all try to solve the world’s parenting debates in the comment section of a Facebook group.