Corporal Punishment : A Form Of Discipline For Some Parents

“Physical punishment of children: Can we continue to accept the status quo?” by Kim Oates is a scholarly source found in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. The author of this journal argues that discipline with physical punishment is not only inefficient, but it also causes problems in the emotional and behavioral development of children. He follows by providing practical forms of disciplining such as: removing privileges, teaching by example, having constant supervision, setting appropriate rules, and being consistent. Kim Oates states that those parents who use physical punishment to discipline their children, likely experienced it during their childhood and are usually unaware of these other methods of discipline. Oates included

Punishing children for their wrong-doings has been and always will be necessary for a child's development of right and wrong. The different types of punishments parents use on their children work for various types and degrees of trouble the child is in. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist that specializes in relationship-based parenting, assumes in her essay “Should You Spank Your Child?” that spanking is one of the worst punishments a child could receive from his parents. However, corporal punishment teaches responsibility and the difference between right and wrong, remains different from abuse, and is not the reason for issues in adulthood.

It is common knowledge that children learn from what they are taught in school and at home. What is spanking teaching our children? According to L.D. Eron “spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to conflict and has been associated with increased aggression in preschool and school children.” (Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) The consequences of spanking does not just effect the children, but also the world around them. Expert P. Cohen says that “spanking has been associated with higher rates of physical aggression, substance abuse, increased risk of crime and violence.”(Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) Consequently, the people in today’s society who are not wanted on the streets are being taught to be this was by their own parents. Taking a look at kids who were spanked, as these kids transition into adults they are reported to have more anger. This increases the chance that they will spank their own children and put them at risk for abuse. (Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) Is spanking your child really worth it? Many parents will say “this is the only way to teach them a lesson” but look at the messages the parents are sending their children. Repeatedly spanking your child can cause aggression and turmoil. This will lead to broken child-parent relationships. According to A.M. Graziano in her article Sub-abusive Violence in Child Rearing in Middle-class

Living in the twenty-first century you rarely ever see someone spank their child or hear the word spank come out of a parent’s mouth. I see too many parents today that are too self-righteous to “spank” their children, because many people see spanking as form of abuse. Many parents in today’s world use more reasonable punishments for their misbehaving children. Some parents put their children in time-outs, deny them of their freedom, take toys away and ground them. I have seen parents use these methods because there are more reasonable ways of punishing their child for being disobedient. However, not everybody in today’s world uses these methods for punishing children; some parents use the act of spanking for punishment. Spanking was a popular punishment back in the 1900s, but is a very debatable topic in today’s society.

About 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their children (Ogilvie 1). Studies were conducted that showed the more parents spanked their children, the more likely the children would hit their parents. Spanking is traumatic for children, imagine someone three times your size began hitting you with all out rage. In most cases spanking is not done correctly, parents often display spanking as out of frustration, not concern. Ogilvie stated that, “In a study I published in the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review in 2005, I found that when used correctly, spanking leads to lower defiance and lower aggression than 10 or 13 other disciplinary alternatives with which it has been compared.”

Much controversy surrounds the topic of corporal punishment with children. Arguments against the use of physical punishment usually revolve around the perception that it is abuse and that healthier methods of disciplining children effectively accomplish adjusting behavior. Those who support spanking usually employ religious arguments, citing religious values, or cultural arguments, citing social context and how parents themselves were raised. Religious beliefs, culture, and perceptions of abuse produce different approaches to parenting. Diana Baumrind identified three styles of parenting, authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative (Berger, 2014, pp. 287-288). These methods of parenting will support or oppose corporal punishment to varying

Spanking children is a very controversial topic; there are people who agree with spanking and there are those who disagree. Everyone’s decision varies based on if they were spank or not spanked as children. After taking several courses in child development it is my belief that physical punishment actually alters the brain, it can traumatize a child, as well as have a decrease of gray matter in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex that have been linked to depression, addiction and other mental disorders. Which could be a leading cause for children growing up with higher risk of commenting a crime. Some may say there is no damage left on children and it can alter unwanted behavior affectedly. Regardless of the reason for what people stand behind when it comes to spanking, it is my belief every individual reacts different to being spanked. There are many elements that affect if the outcome is positive or negative. Spanking should only occur if a child is mentally capacity to understand it is a form or correcting unwanted behavior; followed by a firm lecture as to why the child got spanked. A child should know why they were spanked, furthermore, a parents’ goal should be to not resort to spanking. As a child, I was not spanked, nevertheless, I knew my parents could spank me; from witness childhood friends get spanked. The beliefs and values of American’s are that no one deserves corporal punishment, however, corporal punishment is practice in homes on children, corporal

Spanking is an ineffective method for disciplining children as it both validates violence and creates antisocial behaviour while failing to teach a child why their actions were wrong. As some parents continue to utilize spanking, the children often internalize many negative side effects. They learn to “legitimatize violence”2 thus carrying these issues into other interpersonal relationships. Using their caregivers as models, they are more likely to hit others such as peers & siblings “as means of resolving their conflicts.”1 Ironically, this is exactly what some parents are trying to eliminate. Other children may become increasingly antisocial. From the perspective of a child, those who are supposed to protect them chose to hurt them instead.

Yelling in public, crying over the smallest things, throwing a tantrum every five minutes; all these things have the same solution, which is spanking. People think spanking is a way to raise their children. Spanking is used among parents to teach their children a lesson if they act in a way they are not supposed to act. Some parents use spanking as a way to discipline, a way to teach the child a lesson, or it can be a natural thing in their household. The method of spanking as child rearing has caused some controversy about whether spanking negatively influence a child’s future behaviors and actions. The practice of spanking can later reflect their violent behavior as they get older. Children can easily misunderstand the message behind spanking and unknowingly use it the same way as their parents. Children can, therefore, use the method of spanking toward their new upcoming urge for violence or bad behavior. All of their future actions are now reflecting what they learned in their few years as a baby; they have learned the pain and method of spanking. It is only natural for them to use what they learned in their future. While the method of spanking for child rearing is used among many families, it is important to know whether this practice of spanking is effective in a beneficial way or if it is a definite way to create a child who has a violent behavior. It is better to know whether spanking is favorable in a child’s rearing years, rather than to use the

Apart from corporal punishment, there are many tactics can be used to discipline children, such as reasoning. Spanking is not the only choice. In fact, spanking might to be good choice. Sarah Landy, child psychologist with Toronto's Hincks Institute who leads parenting courses for parents having children who are hard to be disciplined, reported that most parents told her that spanking was useless (qtd. in Bennett). Holly Bennett, Freelance editor, writer and researcher, gave a reasonable explanation, “Spanking tends to divert the child’s attention away from the original issue (his own behaviour) because it provokes such strong emotions -- fear, resentment, hostility.” As a result, through corporal punishment, parents might not be able to teach children anything, but leave their children painful

The most recognizable form of physical punishment is better known as the spanking, and should not be confused with beating. Whether it be done by hand, with paddle or a switch, it is completely legal. This punishment has been around for decades, past down from generation to generation. When used appropriately, it can be beneficial to a child’s behavior and knowing the difference between right and wrong. Many argue that there is nothing wrong with physical punishment and simply state, “I was spanked and I turned out okay!” or “I turned out just fine.” While others believe it is a negative way to punish or discipline a child, it is actually considered

As a child I was spanked when I did something wrong. My parents never left a mark on me what so ever. Being spanked taught me respect and kept me in line. The way my parents disciplined me, I think is an accepted method of punishment. I believe what parents do to their kids at home

Many studies have come out with negative effects that can come about from using many forms of corporal punishment. As parents we need to ask ourselves are we able to control ourselves when we are upset at our kids? Are we able to be fair to our kids? Can the things we do to our children come back and turn out to be used against us and others? “Corporal punishment

When spanking or physically punishing their child, the typical parent doesn’t pause and wonder the effects this type of punishment comes with. In the mind of the parent, they are getting justice for their child’s bad actions. Despite there being tons of nonphysical punishments parents continue to hit and display violence towards children. Though parents may not be aware, scientific testing has been very clear of the negative effects corporal punishment has on children.

Corporal punishment of children is becoming a worldwide topic of discussion. Policies have been developed in 53 countries prohibiting corporal punishment in all aspects; unfortunately, the United States is not included in this count (Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children). Unfortualy in the united states Prohibition is still to be achieved in homes, some alternative care, some daycare, some schools and some penal institutions. State laws confirm the right of parents to inflict physical punishment on their children and legal provisions against violence and abuse are not interpreted as prohibiting all corporal punishment in childrearing. “The near universal acceptance of corporal punishment in “disciplining” children necessitates a clear statement in law that all corporal punishment, however light, is prohibited and the repeal of all legal defenses for its use” (Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children) The number of countries prohibiting corporal punishment continues to rise, as well as the amount of research looking at the effects of corporal punishment. Corporal punishment has been shown to have adverse effects on children in many ways including increased anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and antisocial behavior.