Disciplining a Child Essay example

Many see spanking as a form of parental rights and that the parent has the right to raise their child the way they consider most appropriate. Those in favor of spanking, also hold there is little evidence that moderate spanking is harmful. Further, many believe that discipline problems among children have recently increased, and partially attribute the boost to the decline of both parental authority and the use of spanking.

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.

According to Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota, “The goal of discipline is to create an orderly, predictable, stable, and fun world to enjoy and grow healthy.” When it comes to discipling a child, there are many different courses of action that could be taken. Parents can and should discipline their children (Smenyak). There is a large controversy over the most universal discipline method there is, spanking. Many parents believe that spanking their child can be a beneficial way of correcting a child if done correctly (Smenyak). Other parents believe that spanking a child is simply abuse, that it does not work, or that “Spanking plants a seed for later violent behavior,” says AskDrSears.com.

Have you ever been spanked as a kid and felt angry towards your parents? Did you feel they just hated you? Spanking is a form of corporal punishment which is a punishment intended to cause pain in many different ways. Corporal punishment started in slavery and led to schools and homes. Although many states have banned corporal punishment it is still allowed in 19 out of 50 states. Many adults will agree children just need a ‘good ol’e spanking’ and others will argue that it is a negative way to parent and causes more problems. Spanking children is not a proper way of parenting because it gives a negative effect on children.

Spanking also effects a child emotionally. Think of a child looking up at this huge person hitting them. This could cause the child to feel inferior. In the long run, the child could develop insecurities. Spanking could also teach a child to lie. Why would a child confess to something if they knew that their punishment would be something that will cause them pain? A child's self esteem could be lowered by spanking as well. They may feel that when they are being spanked that the parent is telling them that they are a bad person and this can stay with them throughout their life. "Kids who receive a lot of physical punishment are less spontaneous, more reserved, and afraid to try

Even after years of research, the issue of whether spanking is an adequate discipline strategy or damaging to children remains a controversial topic. According to Kazdin and Benjet (2003) the definition of spanking is “. . . hitting a child with an open hand on the buttocks or extremities with the intent to discipline without leaving a bruise or causing physical harm (p. 100). In addition, according to Maguire-Jack, Gromoske and Berger (2012) only a few studies propose that spanking is an effective form of discipline. On the other hand, there is more evidence to show that spanking is an unsuccessful form of discipline that can led to unwanted consequences (p. 1960). I personally do not take a stance in this topic because I can see valid points from both parties. Although, I believe that the way the punishment is presented to the child is extremely important. For example, I feel that the child should know why he or she is punished and what is expected of them thereafter.

In addition to these three principal reasons which show the inappropriateness of spanking, there are also other concerns. One main worry about spanking is that it is a lower level form of child abuse. It is against the law for a person to hit another person. Children are also people and should not be discriminated against simply because they are smaller.

While this review of literature on spanking children is limited in finding evidence in supporting spanking, the research available that opposes spanking is rather compelling. The findings from the reviewed articles provide advice to parents, both new and long-time, on how to discipline their children if they want their children to have the best outcomes. The studies that have been reviewed are only a small amount of what has been published regarding the negative impacts that spanking can have on children. Additionally, this research may be a start for a move in society to begin viewing spanking as a negative child-rearing practice. While there is a lot more research that could be reviewed on this topic, high levels of aggression, behavioral problems, and

Other parents believe that spanking their child will only make them listen to them more. Well, this is idea is relatively false. When a bond is broken between two people, that creates trust issues. The child will feel that they cannot trust their parent. They will feel fearful to be spanked or to be hurt in any other way. This will cause the child to actually step back from the relationship because they are unsure of their own safety. This leads to the child having aggressive expectations. The child is prepared to aggress first before they are aggressed

Spanking also humiliates the child, which may cause them to lash out as a way to rectify the humiliation, for example, a parent spanks a child in front of a sibling, so the child breaks the sibling’s toy as “revenge” for them witnessing their embarrassment. It also causes anger and resentment in children, which may cause them to behave aggressively. There is evidence that hitting children encourages them to become hitters themselves, in fact there is a direct correlation between being spanked in childhood and aggressive and violent behavior in teenage and adult years according to The Natural Child Project (naturalchild.org). This is because children are naturally inclined to imitate the actions they

Spanking has been a controversial topic among many parents. Some believe it is just a form of discipline and is okay, while others believe that this is abuse or violence and it will harm the child in the long run.

Many people believe that "a quick swat" from them to their child sends a clear message and is effectual discipline when included with loving remarks and in consistent fashion. I believe this view is the best way to help us understand the question: "is it ever appropriate to spank a child?" I believe that the answer that most definitely does not solve this question is that disciplining a child with spanking is alright when nothing else will work, or when the parent has "had enough." This could lead to abuse and/or psychosocially damaging discipline sessions. The context is that all-important factor that defines whether the discipline is appropriate or not. Unfortunately, many parents may have inherited foolish discipline

Spanking has become an arguably debatable form of discipline. According to a study at the University of Texas, the more children are spanked, the more likely they are to defy their parents (“Spanking: Pros and Cons”). There is a connection between spanking during the childhood and mental health diagnoses later in life. There are other options of discipling your child than spanking them, especially because all children can take spanking differently. Parents should not spank their child because it showers that being “stronger” is right, demonstrates that older people have a right to hit younger people, and gives the examples that violence solves all problems.

The second reason why spanking should not be done to children is the fact that it is a form of child abuse. At the moment, countries are divided as to legalize corporal punishment or create a law saying it is illegal. In the book written by Abela (2007) for the Council of Europe, she notes that “spanking of children less than two years old increases the risk of severe physical injury and the child is unlikely to understand the connection between behavior and punishment.” Most parents tend to go overboard when disciplining their children, especially when they are very angry and have not subdued their anger. This then makes the child their venting medium to get rid of that anger and sometimes, they do not apologize and even forget why they have done the deed. Other parents tend to make this a habit and even if the child did nothing wrong, they would still continue spanking the child. Eventually, the parents may slowly abuse the child through pain and totally make the child’s life a complete hell. As a result, child becomes frail and suffers psychological problems. Some countries, especially social services, use this as grounds to get the child away from the family and file cases of child abuse and physical injury that can lead to jail time if proven guilty. Spanking may also cause scarring and may be with the child

For many years parents have been disciplining their children in various ways. Discipline is required to train a child in doing what is right and staying away from what is wrong and dangerous. Discipline has always been used in order for the child not to grow up spoiled and choosy. Giving children what they want always is never a good thing, while teaching them that they cannot have everything teaches them patience. Discipline is very critical in a child’s life because it is a determining factor on how that child is going to turn out in the future. People will always relate bad parenting to a child’s bad behaviour and good parenting to a good behaviour. So how must parents discipline in order