Essay on Discipline on Children

In modern society, physical discipline is still considered a somewhat suitable way of teaching children how to behave in life, though it is decreasing in popularity as time goes on. When using physical discipline, the parent should never have the intention of causing harm, they should always have the intention of being constructive. Whether or not physical discipline results in a beneficial outcome is dependent upon how it is used. If it is the only, or primary, source of discipline, the outcome is generally unfavorable. Also, as said in an article by Larzelere and Kuhn, if the discipline is too violent, and results in the child becoming injured, the child is not going to retain the intended lesson (1). An example of non-abusive physical discipline is conditional spanking. Conditional spanking "is defined as about two open-hand swats to the buttocks when a parent is not angrily out of control" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1). This type of punishment "teaches a child to cooperate with the milder disciplinary tactic, thereby making spanking less necessary in the future" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1) . When parents decide to use physical discipline, the primary intention of the parent should always be that the punishment is being "used in such a way that [it] reduces the need to use it in the future" (Larzelere, Kuhn 1). A parent should never hit a child

“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

Well, many parents find that time-outs and physical punishments are becoming more and more ineffective when disciplining children; this leaves parents questioning their authoritative abilities. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Shari Barkins in the article, “Positive Reinforcement is More Effective than Punishment”, “1 in 3 [parents] said they could not effectively discipline their kids” (Pope). This shows that many parents are experiencing difficulties and challenges when using punishing methods when disciplining

As the child gets older i.e. around two years old the relationship as parents begins to change they start educating their children through discipline etc. When setting boundaries for discipline rules are implemented. The rules provide children with the freedom to express themselves within certain boundaries enabling them to learn and develop effectively.

A recent study shows 70 percent of parents believe it is right to discipline a child through physical means. Most commonly, parents will spank their children but being hit with things like belts or other objects happens as well. Parenting methods haven’t changed much with time and discipline in similar no matter the country. With more studies out to find the most effective method of parenting and discipline it’s coming to attention whether or not physical harm is the best way to teach children. Parents want what is best for their children, so it is important to constantly bring up and question methods commonly accepted in the past. One method that is becoming more controversial is spanking children. Though it is still considered normal to do, it is gaining more traction and more studies are being done to find the problems it causes. Checking on parenting methods can be difficult as everyone is raised differently. It is also difficult to test which forms of punishment lead to certain outcomes. However, there is a trend of negative effects from hitting. Gershoff acknowledges, “several national professional organizations have called on parents to abandon spanking as a child rearing practice and for professionals to recommend disciplinary alternatives to spanking.” Spanking children is a terrible discipline method as it has negative effects.

One very simple word that describes discipline is training. A child is not born with the knowledge of what is acceptable or expected. A parent must invest their own time and patience while showing love and exemplary behavior while molding their children into becoming well behaved (Child Abuse vs. Discipline). Being a parent is a hard enough job already, but when it comes to being a parent having to discipline your child, it becomes much harder. It takes time for a child to learn and process new behaviors, and this is a reason a parent must not have a short fuse when it comes to discipling their children.

Child discipline is an important part of parenthood. It is challenging for adults to manage children’s behaviors and find the correct lessons that will benefit their children. According to the research performed by Flynn (1998), most parents in the United States agree that "it is sometimes necessary to discipline a child with a good, hard spanking" (p.26). Socolar et al. performed research which agreed that “corporal punishment of children persists—roughly fifty percent of the parents of toddlers in the United States use corporal punishment as a regular method of disciplining their children.” (as cited in Gershoff, 2010, p.32). That is not to say that physical punishment is the solution as it can stop a behavior immediately but the results

For example: if a child decides to do drugs or physically harm someone, then they should get a spanking or a harsh scolding accompanied by a week of restriction on things they enjoy. Luscombe includes a quote involving the alternative punishments to spanking being more effective than spanking (par. 9). I normally agree with this, however I would add that it also depends on the child and their attitudes after the punishment has occurred. For instance, if a parent was to eliminate one of the stars on “The Star Chart,” and the child’s response was, “I don’t care,” then the parent would have to apply harsher punishments until the child has changed their attitude towards the punishment. Luscombe also includes information on the negative effects physical punishment may have on children, which should be taken into account when disciplining (par. 5).

When someone becomes a parent they constantly worry about how their child will turn out, if they’ll raise their child correctly, and some people even obsess with wanting to use the best disciplinary methods on their children. Everyone has their own input, their own view, and their own opinion about how to parent a child correctly. Spanking is a universally debated topic. Many experts go against corporal punishment, but many parents still think that spanking is an effective discipline strategy. Should they do it? Is it effective? What are the consequences and the effects? Throughout my paper I will go over the many reasons as to parents should not spank their children.

For many years, discipline was and still is a grey line. By 2000, Studies were showing major associations between physical punishment and mental health, physical injury, parent-child relationships and family violence in adulthood. This led many countries to take action against violent punishments. Therefore, countries banned domestic violence after they decided that gentle discipline is the best method to raise a kid. On the other hand, many parents are reluctant to leave their physical ways of discipline. These techniques come from cultural, and religious beliefs that have been rooted in the parents. The parents continue to use violence as a way to discipline their kids, claiming that it is more efficient than gentle and soft methods of discipline.

Alternative ways of discipline on children include; directing a child with positive instructions and commands rather than negative ones. Every parent should learn to set rules for their children from a positive approach to the situation unless in cases where it is very necessary that they use the negative figures of speech. Parents and caregivers should also allow their children to express their negative feelings and emotions such as anger and disappointment. They should then empathize with them and ask to help them in any way but at the same time stand a firm ground if the child is in the wrong. It is also important that as a parent, they have to remain as specific as possible in telling their children what they want or don’t want them to

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

Discipline is one of the basic things a child learns from his parents before he or she faces the outside world to learn more about life as a whole. Teaching this trait can depend on how the parent shows it to their child and how they explain the importance of having this trait both in and out of their homes. Misbehaving children cannot be avoided as they are curious little beings and they have a tendency to explore. But there are some parents, even teachers, who do not tolerate misbehaving and they resort to corporal punishments such as spanking to make sure the child never forgets how painful it is to misbehave as they will remember the punishment entailed to it and become more disciplined. However, not all children would understand the

Children are like flowers, if well taken care of they will bloom. If ignored or tortured, they will wither and die. Child discipline is one of the most important elements of successful parenting. Today, many people have this notion that physical abuse is in no way a solution to helping children discern between right and wrong. Since generations children have been taught the art of discipline through physical punishment. Often this approach to disciplining has resulted in two outcomes, one is where the child becomes more tolerant and is willing to adhere to what he/she has been told, or the other which more often results in children developing a sense of anguish and desire to revolt.

Parents should be learned about how their form of discipline affects their child because punishment does not have a sense of discipline as the only outcome. Sometimes children are less responsive to a certain form of discipline than others. It cannot be helped that a child is unique and different from others. The child is also a factor in terms of discipline and punishment it is not solely dependent on his/her parent and the way they discipline.