Spanking Child Abuse

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

Most parents subconsciously use the same disciplinary actions that were used on them growing up. There is a ton of variety concerning ways of disciplining your children. These include, but aren’t limited to; spanking, creating consequences, withholding privileges, and time outs. However, experts don’t recommend using spanking as a disciplinary measure, as it causes anger, antagonism, amps up aggression, and makes the child feel devalued, as well as being ineffective in the long run. Spanking is also known to cause antisocial behavior. It is especially ineffective with toddlers and babies because they are unable to make the connection between their bad behavior and physical punishment.

The experts that are against spanking say that it is a violent act and teaches children that hitting is okay. Pro spanking advocate, Dr. James Dobson, reprinted a very informative article by Dr. Den Trumbull M.D. and Dr. S. DuBose Ravenel M.D. entitled To Spank or Not to Spank: A look at an age-old question that baffles many physicians. It states, "There is no evidence in the medical literature that a mild spank to the buttocks of a disobedient child by a loving parent teaches the child aggressive behavior" (Dobson, 2004, p. 127). Dr. Dobson also cited the doctors whose article said that it is impractical to suppose that a child wouldn't show violent behavior if parents used other forms of discipline rather than spanking. Most toddlers, who have yet to be spanked because of their age, commonly strike out against others in aggravation. This is true of any toddler, seen out in public, who throws a temper tantrum over not getting his way. Countless parents, frustrated themselves, simply remove the child from making an undesirable scene. The only thing to do for a child of that age is to remove temptation and distract the child with a toy or juice cup. As the toddler grows, distraction is more difficult and the disciplining methods increase intensity. Some experts against spanking also argue that

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Child abuse is a very serious issue here in the United States. Child abuse is defined as the physical, mental, sexual abuse or exploitation, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child who is under the age 18 (Pro Quest Staff). Many of the children get abused by the person in charge of the child's care. This includes loved ones of the child, people who the child once could trust. In the all U.S. states allow parents to hit/spank their children in the manner of discipline.

Children who have been spanked early on in life are more likely to be disobedience than children  who were not spanked(cnn). Children who are spanked are more likely to suffer from aggression and low-esteem. They also have increased risk in suffering from substance abuse and domestic violence as adults.(Diehl) In an article written by Michelle Castillo that talks about aggression in kids who were spanked: Mothers who were still spanking their child by the age of 5 -- no matter how often -- were more likely to have a child who was more aggressive than his or her peers by the time they turned nine. Mothers who spanked their child at least twice a week when they were 3 also had children more likely to have these problem behavior.

Fréchette, Sabrina, Michael Zoratti, and Elisa Romano. "What Is the Link Between Corporal Punishment and Child Physical Abuse?" SpringerLink. Springer US, 25 Jan. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. . This article was very statistical because they survey individuals about spanking. About the difference between spanking and child physical abuse and what they would consider spanking and to what extent. They also examined parenting and family factors that could distinguish why they spank their children. An if spanking can occur with or without physical abuse. They also examined if spanking was a form of punishment that each generation of their family would do.

Parents have been finding new ways to discipline their children for decades, but one form of child rearing has endured through out the years as the go to punishment, spanking. Although spanking children has been around for a long time, it is a form of abuse used to punish bad behavior in children, the term spanking dissociates hitting kids and abusing them. Spanking children is extremely popular in the United States with almost all parents participating in this cruel behavior. Giles-sims, a Professor of Family Sociology at Texas Christian University quotes a study that says, “99% of parents had spanked 5-year-old children at least once” (Giles-sims, 170). The reason spanking is so common is because there is a lot of misinformation about how spanking effects kids. Parents do not know what spanking will do to the psychology of the child or the relationship they have with their children. For that reason, Parents should not discipline their children through spanking because spanking can have adverse effects on children’s relationship with parents and other children.

Spanking as a way to punish children is a heated debate that does not appear to have an end in sight. The people on both sides of the issue have very strong opinions and do not seem to want to entertain the idea that the other side could be correct. This is generally how debates work, but one concern that is often not looked at is whether the claims from either side are valid and reliable. Anyone can make claims and find evidence for those claims, but the evidence may not be sound and therefore not useful. If we want our arguments to mean something we need to use evidence that is both valid and reliable. Lee et al. argue that spanking can lead to increased aggression in children ages one to five. They set out to determine if there is a correlation between maternal warmth and spanking in regards to childhood aggression (Lee).

In 2014 UNICEF reported that 80% of parents in the world support spanking (Holeman and Wire). Another study conducted in 2012 showed that 70% of parents that live in America, also, support the use of spanking (Perry). Despite the majority in favor of spanking, there are numerous debates about whether spanking is an effective way to discipline your child or not. In result of the debates many researchers have conducted studies based solely on the outcomes of spanking. A great number of the studies have concluded that there is a positive correlation between spanking and aggression, mental illness, and antisocial behaviors in the future. Despite the current view on spanking, researches have conducted many experiments which conclude that spanking has many negative outcomes. Therefore, spanking should not be used as a way to discipline kids because of its negative effects on the child’s behavior.

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

According to Roger Thompson, associate professor at Stony Brook University “If we are going to take seriously what science tells us about how we form relationships and how our mind develops, we will need to construct new strategies for parenting and when we do… we just may change the world” (Thompson). Punishment is usually intended to correct behavior, get rid of or lessen unwanted behavior and encourage better normative behavior. Parents often try to use punishment, such as spanking, to guide children, show them was is acceptable and what is not. This technique is outdated, unnecessary and harmful. To see that spanking as punishment for children is wrong, one needs to look at significant factors such as how the brain of a child works, the more effective options and the long term effects.

The sample of kids came from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, which is a population of families form 20 cities from the United States. There were 2461 study participants who gave their time and information to this study. The predictor variable in this study is the mother’s use of spanking and how frequently the three-year-old was spanked for misbehaving a month before the first interview. The dependent variable is the child’s aggression at the age of 5, which was tested through a series of questions from a Child Behavior Checklist.

INTRODUCTION: “Child Abuse occurs when a parent or a care taker physically, emotionally, or sexually mistreats or neglects a child resulting in the physical, emotional, or sexual harm or imminent risk of harm or exploitation, or in extreme cases the death of a child,” child abuse is a big deal because in today’s society many children face abuse, there are many effects and reasons as to why a child may be abuse.

I think that if kids are spanked they will not disrespect their parents. They will be more respectful of their parents and not want to get in trouble. I think that kids will associate doing bad things with getting spanked and not do it. The kids who are spanked are generally more respectful.