How were you disciplined as a child??

I agree Terri re the nuns. Mostly evil old witches. I knew school wouldn't go well as on my first day, aged 5, I was so scared I wet my pants. I was hauled in front of the class and the teacher (not a nun) said 'Look what this dirty little girl has done.'

I was smacked across the bum occasionally and it was well deserved! I was a cheeky wee madam. Mum once slapped my face when I was 3. I don't remember it but she did and it haunted her. Apparently I was whining about something I wanted. She was pregnant with my brother who was breech and kicked her hard in the ribs so she lashed out. Dad rarely shouted at me, mum often did.
I was hit across the knuckles with a ruler at school. The teacher was a horrible woman regularly inflicted emotional cruelty on the class. She assumed i was cheating in a spelling test when I was thinking aloud. I never made that mistake again!

Clickityclick that’s so awful 💐
I had a very gentle, protected childhood. I think I rebelled a bit as a teenager, nothing terrible, but then made loads of mistakes in marriages and relationships, probably because I had, only had care and protection so hadn’t the experience.
My first marriage became abusive and then much later a relationship also , both had been beaten in childhood the first one by a grandmother, he had been sent to live with, as his mum couldn’t cope with seven kids, full time work and a wandering husband The second was the eldest of five and was made responsible for whatever the younger ones did wrong, he was tied to railings and beaten, can I understand his lashing out at me if I didn’t toe the line Yes I can, but I eventually left.

I was once cheeky to my mum and when I didn't get my own way I threw a tantrum. My dad was in the room and I thought he would side with me- but he picked me up, put me over his knee, and smacked my bottom.
He said never let me hear you being cheeky to your mum again, and I never was.
At school I got the ruler for talking in class but I was shocked more than hurt and it never stopped me talking in class.
A nun once hit me across the face for being cheeky (again) this was seen by the dinner ladies and I never saw that nun again.
To be physically beaten and repeatedly hurt by your own family must be a dreadful thing.
However, constant emotional abuse is just as bad if not worse and no one seems to care about that very much.

My widowed mother never smacked, just expressed her disappointment that I had behaved badly. This was far more painful and as she was reasonable so was I. I only once smacked my two on the leg for squabbling and being horrid on a wet afternoon. My remorse was total and we all remember the occasion. I do understand the frustration that can lead to smacking (DS could annoy for England) but it doesn’t justify using physical power and perhaps teaches bullies to behave this way.

My mother was the disciplinarian in our house. Slapped legs for me or being sent to bed without any tea. My father used to sneak a snack upstairs for me.

Our house was noisy a lot of the time because my parents argued mostly about money. We were never physically hit by mum or dad. I always answered back rather lippy with too much to say really. I was told I was brassy my punishment was being sent to my room.
Not being allowed to watch my favourite programmes. The Big Valley and The Fugative (I loved David Jansson) so that hit hard!
When we became working age we were constantly told to get out and get the money in. We were not encouraged to have ambition which was very unfair. It was typical at the time coming from a large family.

I was a well behaved child, probably because I was very shy but if I did misbehave my father expressing his disappointment was far more effective than physical punishment.

I wasn't smacked as a child. Mum suffered from what was called 'nerves' at that time, and Dad was either very rarely at home, or not interested when he was.

So very often it was those of us who had a 'difficult ' home life without consistent structure who would turn up for school without homework or kit. I remember being struck across the hands by our cookery teacher for not having my apron. The previous day on returning home from school I'd had to run to the phone box to call an ambulance for my Dad's suicide attempt.
So sad that school was not a place of refuge & support, hope that has changed now. Love to everyone else that has come through, we are stronger than we thought we could be

I would have people to think my old dad was an abuser or a bully, back then he did what he thought was the correct thing to do, and only lightly smacked the back of my legs and these occasions occurred very rarely. Tbh he got more upset than either myself and my siblings. And he never shouted or swore at us and neither did my mum. I loved my dad dearly for very many things not least a love of walking and nature.

The word Dad instilled the fear of god but it was mum who mostly did the physical bearings. This would be either with dad's big leather belt or what was called the wooden copper stick. It depended on which was nearest to hand. Sometimes after a beating I'd be put in the coal house outside no matter how cold it might have been. I wasn't locked in but knew the consequences if I came out before being told I could.

My parents were two unhappy people trapped in an unhappy marriage whilst my sister and I did our best to avoid the constant rows. Dad bullied us because he failed to bully our mother and our mother's disappointment and anger pervaded every corner of our lives. They didn't need to beat us to keep us in order. Result was my sister married a controlling bully because it's what she knew and I married the first time to a much older man for security, thankfully life is much better now.

I feel so sorry for those of you who were physically abused by one or both parents. The very people who should have been keeping you safe.
My mother never disciplined me physically - but she certainly knew how to inflict the mental torture. I knew from a very early age that I was a huge disappointment to her, and it took me the best part of 40 years to realise that no matter what I achieved in life, I would never be good enough for her. Even now, I have little or no self-esteem.

My Father was very strict when I was between 5 and 15 , but that discipline also occurred in the workplace and in the RAF, plus also at school , there was a incident at school I remember at Secondary level,where 1/3 pint milk bottle tops where scattered over the playground , and the whole school was disciplined.
Mick

I wasn’t naughty but I remember my mum stamping her foot at me in frustration. That’s as far as discipline went .
Mum and dad were both softies.

Mum would give us rather feeble smacks if we were naughty. She had ‘cracks’ on her hands, too much time in water, and smacking us split them open and was painful (for her).

Dad smacked us only very occasionally if we were really naughty. On our legs, never our heads. He didn’t smack willy nilly like mum, he placed the smacks where it would hurt.

We knew if Dad smacked we had really misbehaved.

I think we deserved it.

They were good, loving parents.

I see nothing wrong with how we were brought up.

Look at nature. If a mother cat sees her kittens being naughty, she cuffs them.

Modern methods of bringing children up don’t seem to work that well.

Having said all this, I certainly don’t condone children being physically abused, but as with many things, there are different ways of doing things.

I was never smacked by either Mum or Dad. I was the youngest of 4 and the only girl, so possibly a bit spoilt. I had a happy childhood.

I never had any physical punishment anywhere, I think I was a fairly easy kid to raise, certainly not goody goody and I had my moments as a teen but no, never ever hit by anyone.
My Dad was a kind gentle soul my mum more firey but never ever hit or harmed me, My Nan and grandad played a big part in my upbringing as mum and dad worked long hours, but they were both kind, gentle people.
I feel really strongly for any child hurt in childhood
I never smacked any of my children and none of them have ever smacked my grandkids, thankfully
I hate the thought of it and my heart goes out to some of these answering with bad childhoods A hug from me.

My father never laid a hand on me, and he never raised his voice either, but my mother hit me regularly, out of sheer frustration more than anything else, I suspect, for not being the child she wanted me to be and for just generally being there at all.

Yes! My father, I'd describe him as mecurial, he was quite an explosive person, so good hidings could be a feature of my growing up years, I was never sure when they were coming or whether I deserved them. My mother was a soother in the aftermath, and after I'd retreated to my bedroom came up to wipe away any tears and generally make me feel better. In retrospect I was quite anxious as a child and it's been no accident that I was drawn to men with a calm nature, living with my father could be like living on the edge of a volcano.

Then there was school. At my junior school we had more lay teachers but one or two nuns, viciuos individuals who had no affinity with children. Aged about 8 I was called out the front of the class, given the wooden back of the blackboard rubber across my hand for an insolent face, her interpretation of my normal face. Little did I know I had what is now perceived as resting bitch face Injustices stay with us. Our headmistress was also prone to slappings across the back of hands she'd apply so much vigour her glasses tended to fall down her nose as she went at it.Quite funny unless on the receiving end. I remember getting a dressing down from her about my disgraceful handwriting when I broke my right arm and had to write with my left hand The nuns at my junior were a precursor to more of them at my convent school, horrible, spiteful, angry, petty, narrow minded. Deep down they must have been unhappy I wonder whether becoming a nun was something they were coerced into. Although we had one nice French nun, Sister Therese who was smiley and really quite different from the Irish ones.

My heart goes out to all of you with bad parents. It’s heartening to read you did the opposite with your own. Never remember any harsh treatment, ever. I was an easy child I think. everyone used to get a good hiding but not in our family, one girl was thrown downstairs by her mother. I remember being so angry at her mother and said she should have left hone, but where can a ten year old go? That girl got pregnant at 16 and I don't know what happened to her. I was told to go to my room for an hour once, but that's all..However, Junior school was a wake up call, one teacher in particular, if I didn't get the ruler over my knuckles each week or a board rubber thrown at my head for not being quick enough to answer mental arithmetic questions it was rare. I told my mother the first time and she said they didn't do that for nothing, so I never told her again, she held teachers in very high esteem, everyone got the ruler or was caned it was the norm, but not at my senior school thank goodness. I kept things inside but my children could tell me anything. I think you make a child before they are 6 or 7.. Even those with bad mothers always saw them even if it were out if duty,

My mother was the kindest, most loving person and never laid a hand on me or my two sisters.

I don’t remember any of us being ‘naughty’ though, we just knew what was expected of us and tried to please mum.

Our father had nothing to do with disciplining us, and he died when I was 9 so I think mum and my sisters clung to each other for support.

I did get smacked by a teacher when I was 5. Scurrying to put my painting to dry, I tripped over another girl’s feet and was hauled up by the teacher who whacked me on my bottom. I still feel the injustice of it today as I’d done nothing wrong.

JamesandJon33

I was never physically disciplined, but my mother, wordlessly expressed her disappointment. Quite honestly that continued until she died. I felt a great sense of freedom then….just to be myself

Same here.
My mother would slap me, use a hairbrush or cane across my back and legs. I was regularly sent to my bedroom for the rest of the day without any meal or drink. She would cold shoulder me for days too.
I remember desperately asking if I’d been a good girl when we’d be out - if she didn’t answer I knew I was in for another walloping.
My father was distant and never did much parenting, if any, at all.
I was a very anxious child, had low esteem all my life because of my mother.
I didn’t mourn her death at 94 for one minute, just a huge sense of relief.

Never by my dad, who was always gentle and kind. Mum yes, over a chair and spanked as were several siblings, never the boys just the 4 older girls and I do remember intervening more than once

At times I was put into the dark outside toilet and later as a young teenager, into the dark damp cellar. I must have spoken my mind and she could not cope with 7 children, she never hugged me and I never cried at her funeral.

I do understand her psychology, having herself been sent to boarding school at 7 and being sent to an old aunt in her holidays

I am completely different