Ok, this could only happen in a Christian scool. First off, who suspends a 6-year-old? If the child is having problems concentrating in class you take him to see the counselor first to see if there is something wrong that they can fix. If he brings toys or gum to class, you take them away. I agree that the mother has discipinary problems because she allows this child to bring toys and gum to class and aparently has ignored the notes she got from the school, assuming she got the notes. I think public school would actually fix this problem. I have just as many friends that grew up in public schools as friends that went to private schools.I've heard of so many more discipline problems in private schools and students of private schools are more likely to turn to drugs and alcohol because they are in a more rigid school stucture. Also, when some of my friends from private schools came to public high school and to Lakeland they didn't know anything about the real world. They were taught limited things in school. Never anyting about drug and alcohol abuse or sex and birth control and std's. They were more likely to try things because they had never heard of anything about them except "just say no". I resent that you would say public school will turn this kid into a druggie. Its the other way around. And to get back to the subject, I would not spank my child either. At my house we talk about problems we are having and we work them out together, spanking hurts the child and does teach them you are mad at them, but it doesn't fix anything. It's like taking aspirin to cover the pain from a broken leg. Sure you don't feel anything but you still have a dangling leg that is only getting worse.