Since the birth of the nation, Americans have debated about the topic of spanking children for discipline. Parent’s waver back and forth for a while it is okay and expected that they will discipline the children by using corporal punishment. Then over the years everything changes and now it’s no longer acceptable. It will be the center of many heated debates and will continue to be so as long as we have parents and as long as they raise children. In the long run parent’s will find out if spanking turned out to be a strength or a weakness but for the immediate future, it’s something America needs to go back to using for guidance purposes. Spanking when used as a form of discipline and not abuse is an effective tool. The use of spanking has …show more content…
Even the churches can’t agree on the biblical interpretation. A Church of God congregation in Aylmer, ON are composed of mainly German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico. They believe that the Bible requires that when they spank their children, they must strike them with an object, typically a wooden stick or a leather belt. Their belief is that they are forbidden to spank their children with their hand, because the hand is considered an instrument of love, guidance and comfort. Whereas The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon Church are conservative Christian group which discourages …show more content…
Corporal punishment is defined as the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offense, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behavior deemed unacceptable (Wikipedia 2014). The line between spanking and abuse is not always clear and is decided on a case by case basis by the state prosecutors and judges and whether the line has been crossed. If asked parents use the word spanking as not just a slap on the buttocks, but a form of corporal punishment that is not severe enough to be classified as abuse. Corporal punishment has been repeatedly associated with child abuse, moral internalization, aggression, delinquent and antisocial behavior, decreased quality of the parent-child relationship, increased behavioral symptoms, later criminal behavior, worse mental health, and perpetration of spouse and child abuse (Gershoff, 2002; Zolotor et al., 2008). In the long run the psychological effects of spanking can become damaging to a child. A study given by the conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Maryland show that when an IQ test was given to children that received spanking the test showed they score less compared to the children that didn’t receive spankings. "What we are teaching a child when we spank her is that hitting is the solution when something doesn't go her way," explains Marilyn Benoit, M.D., president of the American Academy of Child
What does Corporal punishment mean? Murray Straus, a sociologist who has written extensively on the topic, defines corporal punishment as “the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not hurt, for the purpose of correction or control of the child’s behavior.” Some common forms of corporal punishment are: spanking, slapping, grabbing or shoving a child roughly or hitting with objects like belt, paddle, or hair brush.
Did you know that in America, around 60% of all parents spank their kids? With so many people disciplining their kids, is it possible that all of those people have been doing it wrong. This old act of disciplining might be on the verge of being outdated and useless like the telegraph. Plus, it never benefits the poor kids. For example, this violent action can cause emotional or behavioral problems and might affect their childhood.
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
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
Spanking is a fiercely debated social issue in many countries, such as the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Germany. There are questions over what intensity of pain is suitable until it crosses the threshold into abuse. Up until the mid-20th century it was perfectly okay in most communities for a spanking to cause a child to cry in pain throughout and have difficulty sitting down afterward, even resulting in stripes or bruises for days. Nowadays several think even mere redness of the skin abusive, while others would call it effective discipline. This causes questions as to whether children should be spanked. In addition, whether spanking is an effective method of discipline and at what point does it constitutes child abuse.
The term spanking is a form of physical or corporal punishment use a lot for parents all over the world. The general acceptance and sometimes support of corporal punishment as a method of discipline is an aspect of Each culture. Children are one of the problems between the child and a parent is the abused in part, because they are unable to defend themselves against stronger and more powerful adults and sometimes they parent get use to hit the child that at the end for any little thing they get hit and they think is normal but it is not little kids died every day for a bad hit from their parent. Researchers recently have recognized that spanking is a used primarily with young children and that the incidence and severity of spanking often diminishes by the time children are 8-10 years of age depending on how the parent is. Studies of the incidence and intensity of spanking often provide evidence that most parents
The term corporal punishment means the intentional infliction of pain on the body for purposes of punishment and includes slapping, hitting with objects, pinching, shaking and forcing to stand for long periods of time (Epoch 1). Family researchers define corporal punishment as " the use of physical force aimed at causing children to experience pain but not injury, for the purposes of correction and control of youthful behavior" (Day 83). Spanking is one form of physical or corporal punishment (Epoch 1).
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
The debate over spanking as a way of disciplining the children rages. While pro-spanking advocates cite the biblical passage “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” groups against the child-rearing practice can cite a new University of Michigan study to back their claim that it is wrong.
There is a fine line between this corporal punishment and abuse. Spanking can be defined as many things but if it doesn’t injure the child, is used as correction and used on the buttocks, it is not considered abuse. Spanking is used to depress an undesired behavior, it works because the bad behavior stops quickly, however, the long-term effects can be distressing. The use of physical punishment under a year and a
A fine line exists between discipline and child abuse. Spanking a child can cause many emotional problems in a child's life. Parents may miss these problems because they are trying to correct the child with spanking them. Some of the emotional problems that are
With new upcoming generations and a changing society, traditional practices of how people live are changing; arguably for the better or worse. Some of these changes include the controversial to spank or not to spank question, in which new studies are aiming to show the effects of spanking on children. “With more than 30 years of research, we can now visualize accurately how spanking can alter a child’s perception.” (Scrock 2009) Although spanking has been the “go-to” way of discipline, it is starting to be looked on as a form of child abuse. After all, there are great reasons as to why organizations like the American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics condemn spanking. We will talk about the problems spanking causes in children, the misconception on why parents do it, and how to properly discipline your child. This essay argues that parents should not spank their child and should instead turn to other measures of discipline.
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.
The term corporal punishment means the intentional infliction of pain on the body for purposes of punishment. "Spanking can be defined as the use of physical force aimed at causing children to experience pain but not injury, for the purposes of correction and control of youthful behavior"(http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=32539). Spanking is a controversial topic and should not be taken lightly.
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