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
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.
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.
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 has received a bad reputation dues to increase in child abuse that is report yearly. In 2012 2.9 million cases of child abuse was reported in the United States this neglect and abuse. (Safe Horizon, 2012) As a child I was spank, punished and talked to about what was acceptable behavior, respecting all adults and people in authority. As a child I would have rather receive a spanking because my mom never stop talking but maybe that because I got so few spanking.
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
We live in a world where punishment is used in order to teach someone a lesson, or to show them that acting a certain way isn’t right. The mission of parents is to be able to teach their kids to surpass them, and to prepare them for the real world. One way of punishment that a lot of parents practice is spanking their children. According to the website, Brookings.edu, it states that in North America, 81% of parents say that spanking their children is sometimes appropriate. While some parents think that spanking is a good way in order to discipline their children, they shouldn’t because it teaches them that violence is the answer, it can cause emotional damage, and it doesn’t teach them how to communicate with other people.
Many reasons why people are fearful of the spanking technique are because they believe it to be “ineffective” and dangerous. Some believe that it is only going to produce fear itself into the child’s eye, and only make the child fear his parents rather than understand that there is a reason behind the spanking. Because of this act of “harm” some would say, it is only going to produce a negative effect inside the child’s brain and he will use this new found knowledge on other children. This spanking, explained by experts, will only negatively impact children rather than producing a better outcome, and will make the child produce a violent behavior of their own later on in life. While on the other side of the argument, people believe that it if spanking is properly used and understood by the child, it will be the most effective to repent undesirable behavior in younger children (not of infants). It’s believed that if you take away privileges from the child, it will only increase their temperament and make them behave even more inappropriate than before. When children become older then spanking from the parents or family should become less frequent because the child will understand that there will be consequences for their own actions taken place. But the spanking shouldn’t be used to actually cause physical harm, because this would be come to known as actual child abuse, rather than actual method to better increase the actions of the child. All and all I believe that spanking is a proper technique in disciplining children. Although it’s a good to do so it also has to be used in an appropriate matter, otherwise it could just turn into child abuse. But I believe earth itself is becoming too soft, and soon one day everything will be dangerous. If it were possible, would you want to live
They claim that spanking only teaches the child to fear their parents instead of respecting them. It can be dangerous because children will grow up thinking it's okay to hit other people to get their way, which is what parents do. Spanking can lead to violent behaviors later in their lives. "Corporal punishment is of limited effectiveness and has potentially deleterious side effects," American Academy of Pediatrics has said in a policy statement. In a 2002 study, published in the Psychology Bulletin, said that even though corporal punishment can make a child obey their parents in the short run, it can also be the link to long-term problems such as mental disorders and behavioral
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).
The debate on parenting is a very interesting topic. There are always two sides to a debate. Parents have viewed spanking and discipline as a key if not the key to ensure a child can survive and adapt to
The research warned that kids spanked are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems when they grow older. Researchers said that it can lead to depression and moderate to heavy alcohol consumption and drug use when the children become adults, Science Daily reported.
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.
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.