My book, What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying
Safe in a World of Strangers, advocates for safety, health, happiness and
well-being of children. Child discipline
is an important aspect of raising well adjusted children. For that reason, I
think it is important to address the controversy over spanking.
Spanking and verbal
criticism have become, to many parents, more important tools of child rearing
than approval." (Phil Donahue)
Spanking children is one
form of corporal punishment, or the deliberate infliction of pain to deter
misbehavior in children. Corporal punishment is a controversial issue. There
are varied opinions as to the effectiveness of such discipline. As with most
things in life, there are disadvantages and advantages.
One disadvantage is that
spanking can get out of hand, even though parents often think their spanking is
done in a controlled manner. In addition, some research shows a connection spanking
children and aggressive behavior of those same children when they become
adults.
Some psychologists and educators believe that spanking children
prevents them from learning humane conflict resolution. They also believe that
spanking children only produces cooperation in the short term, and not in the
long run. They assert that spanking is based on fear and negatively affects
parent - child bonding. They believe that it is more effective to promote good
behavior by bonds of mutual respect and love.
There are those who believe that spanking has some advantages as
an effective form of child discipline. One study found that children who
remember being spanked displayed better school performance and were more
charitable and optimistic than children who weren’t spanked as a disciplinary
measure. This study, however, contradicts theories that children who are
spanked are more aggressive than those who aren’t spanked.
Parents need to weigh the pros and cons of spanking children
before deciding how they want to punish misbehavior in their own children.
