Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (Full Version)

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WilliamCoburn -> Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 4:40:28 PM)

A child “acts up” disturbing your Sunday service what should/does the mother do?

Background of the thread title:
I grew up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses during the 70’s and there was a room openly called “the Spanking Room” in our Kingdom Hall. While I was very young I still remember the meeting announcing that the renovation of our Kingdom Hall was complete and now included a Spanking Room with a sound system so mothers would not miss their meeting while beating a child! More amazing was the meeting about a year or so later: the brother on stage said we were not allowed to call the room The Spanking Room anymore because it could give non-Witnesses the impression we beat our children.

Have you heard of any other religions doing the same thing?



JimboFletch -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 5:00:53 PM)

No, that's a first for me. I've been a believer over 41 years and have been active in churches from Key West, FL to Connecticut and never heard of anything like that.



Bubbles5 -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 5:01:50 PM)

The church I attended, as a child, had a special room for the babies/children that acted up during service. It was called..the crying room.
The church I attend now, the mothers go downstairs with the child. We have speakers down there, along with chairs/tables, a kitchen in case we need to heat a bottle. and the bathrooms.



JimboFletch -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 5:04:58 PM)

Oh, on the first question: the father probably woud be the one to give the child "the look" and that should settled the problem then. If that doesn't do it, the father normally would take the tyke outside for a talk or appropriate action.

I generally did not expect my wife to handle disciplinary problems in church, although I don't recall ever needing to do more than look meaningfully at our kids.



hotsaucygma -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 5:09:16 PM)

Our church has an area in back, behind the pews, that has a glass wall, chairs and a speaker in the room so that Mom's can take crying or excessively "wiggly" children there, hear adn still see the service and not disrupt others. No spanking done as far as I know! We also provide a children's bulletin and crayons for children that stay in the main sanctuary, to keep them occupied a bit.



PrincessDonna -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 6:07:23 PM)

Moderator's Note:

We have a one-stop spanking thread, for all discussions around corporal punishment. You may find that thread HERE.

You may use this thread to discuss the name and purpose of your church's cry room, wiggle room, etc, but not to discuss spanking.

I've also moved this thread from Community to Parenting.

Thank you!
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pbaribeault -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/6/2008 6:13:16 PM)

Our parents use the nursery at the back (glass window & speaker system) for crying babies, wiggling toddlers or as a sort of dog-house in case of necessary discipline. Parents who spank might do a spanking there, others would use it for a firm talking-to, corner-standing, time-out... whatever seems best to them.

It's not completely sound proof, so if necessary (or if it is in use for a baby) the parents in need of a space for discipline tactics would then resort to the bathroom or their vehicles. Anyone who notices politely pretends not to.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/7/2008 8:13:19 AM)

I wonder if they used that term jokingly??

Many churches I have attended had a room at the back of the sanctuary for nursing, diaper changing, and the occasional necessary discipline but they were never made just for spanking. [&:]



JimboFletch -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/7/2008 10:16:48 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: 3cappuccinosmom

I wonder if they used that term jokingly??

Many churches I have attended had a room at the back of the sanctuary for nursing, diaper changing, and the occasional necessary discipline but they were never made just for spanking. [&:]

I'm familiar with rooms like that, I've even seen a couple with one-way glass so that you can see into the sanctuary but they can see you. But I've never heard anyone refer to it as a spanking room.



WilliamCoburn -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/7/2008 12:46:21 PM)

There was an announcement about the "room" after a meeting (service) in the Kingdom Hall! They then opened up the discussion with the question: "What do you feel is most effective to hit your child with?" I looked over at my mom and, to my horror, she was taking notes!



Georgia-Peach -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/7/2008 1:21:51 PM)

I have never heard of a church having a room designated for spanking a child. We have a nursery, a huge foyer, or one of the Sunday School rooms with a rocking chair for a mother/parent to use. I used the Sunday School room with rocking chair for nursing because it was very private and quiet. When he was still in service with me if started crying or getting fussy we just went to the foyer. Now he goes to the nursery though.



Ephesians4_32 -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/7/2008 11:27:03 PM)

I've never heard of a Spanking Room and I don't understand the need for one. My children always behaved rather well in church except when the girls had baby dolls that squeaked if you squeezed them or sucked air through the squeakers in their backs. We quickly found the solution and removed the squeakers. [:D] If my grandchildren pester each other, I sit between them.



WilliamCoburn -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 5:27:34 AM)

Here are the results so far on my Spanking Room polls (posted on 8 sites)

Out of 126 votes 9 (10) people said their Kingdom Hall had a “Spanking Room”.

Let me start by saying that I was in no way implying that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only religion that may have gone overboard with discipline to the point of child abuse. It was the 1970’s.

I am NOT anti spanking but I believe it must be used “almost never” so when it is needed it is effective. Example: the one time I spanked my 4 year old was the second time he ran into the road with stopping or looking.

So WHY am I gathering this information:

I wrote a book about growing up a one-parent Jehovah’s Witness. The title of the book is THE SPANKING ROOM: A Child’s Eye View of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The reason for the title is simple: the first thing that pops into my mind when the religion is mentioned is the Spanking Room.

So, it was very important for me to find out if my Kingdom Hall was the only one to ever have a Spanking Room. While it is very possible all 9 people who voted YES were from my Hall the written posts indicated that at least 2 other Halls had “Spanking Rooms”.



zoebob -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 9:38:40 AM)

WilliamCoburn,

You do realize that this is a Christian site and for the most part we don't have JW's here. I don't know of anyone who worships at a Kingdom Hall or is JW



buckifn -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 10:53:58 AM)

NO, and I would not attend a church that had such a room. In our church the place where parent's go to attend to the babies is called a nursery, but I like the idea of calling it the "nurturing room" more than anything else.



WilliamCoburn -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 10:55:18 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: zoebob

WilliamCoburn,

You do realize that this is a Christian site and for the most part we don't have JW's here. I don't know of anyone who worships at a Kingdom Hall or is JW

Yes, that is why in my first post I asked " Have you heard of any other religions doing the same thing?"

After getting out of the JW's I was a walking time-bomb until my uncle took me to his small non- denominational church. The youth pastor quickly picked up on my "needs" and told me I needed to forgive. I was ... well 17 and said "why?" to which he replied "why did Jesus look down from the cross and say 'forgive them Father...'" we prayed and I was instantly given the greatest gift ever...



Mrs.X -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 11:34:05 AM)

I will have to ask my JW friend if her Kingdom Hall has a spanking room. I've been to churches with crying rooms which a lot of parents used to spank their kids, or just let them throw the fit or whatever. I think the JW's in your case could have used a little more tact in naming their crying room. Obviously it wouldn't be used just for spanking.



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 1:37:18 PM)

quote:

I think the JW's in your case could have used a little more tact in naming their crying room. Obviously it wouldn't be used just for spanking.

I think it also has to do with a totally different time....the OP said this was back in the 70's...I was born in the late 70's and my mom says that in some places things like that weren't really looked at like it would be now.



Mrs.X -> RE: Topic: The Spanking Room (2 questions) (5/8/2008 9:52:22 PM)

That makes a lot of sense, Sarah.



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