Comment: This page, including the "conclusions", was contributed by a reader in December 2002. It is considered "off topic" for this website as it discusses non-punitive spankings.

All over the world spankings also play a more light hearted role.We look at the four most popular forms.

1. Birthday Spankings

These consist of giving to the birthday boy or girl one smack on the bottom for each year of their age and one "to grow on". They are usually administered at birthday parties and/or in the family.

Feb 2005: If you're unfamiliar with the concept, this photo album page shows an example of a 3-year old girl's birthday spanking in 2001 in Washington State.

At parties the ritual can vary. The birthday child may choose a favoured young guest to give the spanks or the guests can line up for each to give one spank or even the full number of spanks each. With a large number of guests that can mean a lot of spanks for the birthday child! With boys there are no practical difficulties about the administration of the spanks: they are simply given on the seat of the jeans, shorts or trousers. But with girls party frocks can often be stiff or full and unsuitable for spanks; in those cases the frock is often lifted so the spanks can be given on the panties. Parents should not be concerned about these rituals: they are traditional and children everywhere find them a source of innocent fun and excitement.

Within the family the situation is similar although it is far more common for each member to have the right to give the birthday child a spanking than it is at parties. Quite often children will ask if they can give their parents a birthday spanking. How parents respond will depend on each family but there is much to be said for parents showing their sense of fairness and that they are good sports by agreeing to accept a birthday spanking.

It should be a matter of course that the tradition of birthday spankings is only acceptable as long as it is a voluntary fun activity for the participants. See Reader's Feedback, January 9, 2004 for a reader's negative experiences with classroom birthday spankings he experienced in 2nd grade.

2. Play Acting

All children indulge in play acting games and ones involving parent and child or teacher and student spankings are very common. These too are quite harmless and indeed can do good in that they encourage children to realise that spankings are events which should be approached with some deliberation. The methods of administering the spankings are as varied as in real school and family situations but natural restraint and peer pressure ideas about fairness and so on tend to prevent any spankings which are untoward or excessive. They might involve a slighly naughty lifting of dresses and so on but it is quite innocent and harmless. Quietly observing such games can also be instructive for parents or teachers: children will portray in their spanking games how they perceive those who spank them in real life. Thus you might see them acting out a bad tempered person who spanks on the slightest provocation, a weak person who cannot make up his or her mind whether or how to spank and the parent or teacher who to their young eyes seems to enjoy spanking them.

3. Spanking Games other than Play Acting

These are simply games in which the penalty for losing is to receive spanks and the reward for winning is to give spanks. The variations are almost infinite. Once again a completely harmless source of fun and excitement for children.

4. Playful Spanks by Parents

These range from the idle spank on the seat of a passing child's bottom which some parents do without even realising they are doing it to giving a number of light spanks as a mock punishment when a child is being a little mischievous or irritable without actually being naughty. This can be quite useful as a semi-serious reminder to behave without unpleasantness. Children take these sort of spankings well as one can see from the grin that they often give when they receive them.

5. Conclusions

Light hearted spankings are normal, fun, harmless and sometimes beneficial. Their popularity and acceptance are also evidence that the practice of giving spankings is a natural and instinctive part of the make up of all human beings.

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