thatguyjeff
Member
What do ya'll think about allowing little kids to hit you?
I'll put this into context. Me and the Mrs. have a 3 y.o. son, typical little toddler. I don't mind when he hits or kicks me when we're goofing around. We get a little "rough and tumble" at times. And my philosophy is that's something little boys do. They wrestle, punch each other, etc.
My wife, on the other hand, thinks it's not acceptable ever. No hitting, ever.
Last night we had a brief discussion and she expressed her wish that I not allow our son to hit me. She's concerned first that it's confusing for him. It's okay to hit dad but not mom. I think this is bull. He pretty much gets it. Dad allows certain behavior that mom doesn't allow. This is true in the real world. It's acceptable for people to behave a certain way, with their friends for example, whereas in other situations that same behavior wouldn't fly, say in a job interview or something.
She says hitting is violence. I don't agree. Hitting someone, in an uncontrolled environment, with the intent to cause harm is violence. Goofing around, wrestling, a little boxing... hardly violent. And it's fairly obvious that he has no intentions of causing harm.
This isn't a sensitive point between us. We don't have arguements about it. But she's made her preference clear. My stand is that this is what boys do. Hell, this is what men do. I'll sock my friends in the arm or we'll tussle around sometimes, when it's appropriate, not at a funeral or something.
I'll conceed the fact that yes, things can escalate at times and get out of hand. But that's true for just about anything. The important part is recognizing when things go too far and putting a stop to it. I feel this is a valuable lesson. The little guy is only 3, but he's getting stronger. There was a time not too long ago when I would let him sock me in the face. Very recently I told him that he's bigger now and shouldn't punch me in the face. He's okay with this and doesn't do it any longer.
Your thoughts?
I'll put this into context. Me and the Mrs. have a 3 y.o. son, typical little toddler. I don't mind when he hits or kicks me when we're goofing around. We get a little "rough and tumble" at times. And my philosophy is that's something little boys do. They wrestle, punch each other, etc.
My wife, on the other hand, thinks it's not acceptable ever. No hitting, ever.
Last night we had a brief discussion and she expressed her wish that I not allow our son to hit me. She's concerned first that it's confusing for him. It's okay to hit dad but not mom. I think this is bull. He pretty much gets it. Dad allows certain behavior that mom doesn't allow. This is true in the real world. It's acceptable for people to behave a certain way, with their friends for example, whereas in other situations that same behavior wouldn't fly, say in a job interview or something.
She says hitting is violence. I don't agree. Hitting someone, in an uncontrolled environment, with the intent to cause harm is violence. Goofing around, wrestling, a little boxing... hardly violent. And it's fairly obvious that he has no intentions of causing harm.
This isn't a sensitive point between us. We don't have arguements about it. But she's made her preference clear. My stand is that this is what boys do. Hell, this is what men do. I'll sock my friends in the arm or we'll tussle around sometimes, when it's appropriate, not at a funeral or something.
I'll conceed the fact that yes, things can escalate at times and get out of hand. But that's true for just about anything. The important part is recognizing when things go too far and putting a stop to it. I feel this is a valuable lesson. The little guy is only 3, but he's getting stronger. There was a time not too long ago when I would let him sock me in the face. Very recently I told him that he's bigger now and shouldn't punch me in the face. He's okay with this and doesn't do it any longer.
Your thoughts?
