So being from Utah and being a Mormon, I, like many others,  have a calling (a job) in my church.  I am a Primary Teacher.  It is the best experience in my life... .  As a Primary Teacher I am responsible to teach a certain age group (Primary consists of ages 3 - 11) about what us Mormons believe.  Now don't get me wrong, I love being LDS and everything that goes with it.  I do not like having to teach a bunch of whiney, annoying kids.  I sometimes enjoy preparing the lesson and thinking of new ways to teach something that they can better understand, but most of the time I loathe it.  No matter how much effort I make in preparing a lesson that is both fun and informative it seems like a waste of time, the kids just fart around the whole time and no one hears the lesson.   Okay, all you goodie goodie Mormons save your judgment and your "go ask to be released" comments, I know what you're thinking.  But, C'MON NOW, who hasn't wanted to slap one of their students upside the head with a Book of Mormon for flicking his boogers on Suzy or for pantsing Tommy while he is giving a talk?  Nobody is perfect and most people have these same feelings.  I remember when I was in Primary Sean Covey (former BYU quarterback) was my teacher.  He had this HUGE championship ring that he wore and if we were acting up he would put it on his thumb and bonk us one right on the dome.  Needless to say it probably made things worse as each of us were happy to be touched by a championship ring even if it hurt a little. Eventually we even started to intentionally goof off in order to "feel the glory".  So this being said, how do we handle, in this day and age, teaching children that do not want to be taught?  And how do we discipline them?

Okay, I was spanked with a belt, stick, paddle, and hand.  I would have to say that most of the time I would stop doing whatever it was I was doing wrong because I would remember the consequence.  In those rare occasions where I pushed the limits to far I got spanked again.  In this day and age spanking is totally taboo, and I want to know why! 

 There is a difference between full on beating a child and giving him a light spanking.  I can see the argument "don't you want to teach your kids not to hit?  How can you do that when you hit them?"  So then I say "What then, ground them? Tell them you love them and are disappointed in them? Send them to their room?  Sit them down calmly and nicely?" C'MON NOW, there is no way that this works.  In my own family there are 4 boys and 2 girls, there is no way  this would have worked or did work.  Maybe we were just bad children or maybe we were just smart children that knew how to weigh whether or not the consequence was greater than the joy brought on by the disapproved action.  Children may be young but they most certainly are not dumb.  Don't think for one minute that your child doesn't weigh his consequences. 

Okay lets look at this from another angle...I have seen what I like to call the "Passive Parent", this type of parenting involves more talk, less walk.  For example,  a group of friends are invited to a BBQ and are all sitting around shootin' the breeze, all of the kids are playing together in the yard.  Then it happens, a wail of pain and anguish from a child, all parents go running to see the commotion.  Apparently one young boy pushed another young boy and made him cry, the "Passive Parent" gives the pusher a needed "Tommy don't push!" The crying subsides and the parents return to the table.  Five minutes later it happens all over again, and again and again and again.  Each time the parent tells the child "Tommy don't push!"  Finally, I can see the "Passive Parent" is getting upset, and I'm thinking that a good spankin' is inevitable.  I watch him walk over to Tommy to say "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to push?!  Go sit in time out until I say otherwise!"  Tommy walks to a chair at the far end of the yard and acts hurt.  As the parent turns around to walk back to the table Tommy makes a face at both the parent and the child who is crying.  Sound familiar?  How is this kid ever going to learn not to push?  My question is, will he learn better if you just tell him