Is Spanking Your Child Ok

Is Spanking Your Child Ok?

According to DHS you should never resort to spanking your child, or any other kind of physical/corporal punishment. “The more children are hit, the more likely they are to hit others including peers and siblings and, as adults, they are more likely to hit their spouses” (Straus and Gelles, 1990; Wolfe, 1987). Research supports DHS in saying that children that are spanked are more aggressive, more anti-social behaviors will arise, anxiety heightens, and they are more acceptable to humiliation. Spanking helps engrave in the Childs mind that if your bigger then someone its ok to hit them. It also shows the child that aggressive behavior is the way to deal with conflict.

In l979 the Corporal Punishment Ban was enforced in homes and in the schools, and any kind of physical punishment was outlawed. “I can find no sanction in the teaching of Jesus or the witness of the New Testament to encourage the practice of corporal punishment at home, school or anywhere else. A number of popular voices take a different view, often quoting Old Testament scriptures to prove their point. Those who subscribe to this argument misunderstand and misuse scripture. A similar method of selective reading could just as well be used to justify slavery, suppression of women, polygamy, incest and infanticide”(The Reverend Dr. Thomas E. Sagendorf)

Something I hear a lot working at a daycare is that spanking is an easy way to keep your kids in line. But since I do work at a daycare where Corporal Punishment is banned I see that time-outs, and talking to a child about what they did wrong and why it’s wrong is a better option. Spanking a child may stop their bad behavior for the time being, but does that mean it will permanently correct the behavior?? No. In all actuality there isn’t one specific thing you can do that will stop your child from making bad choices, even time-outs are ineffective sometimes. But one thing that puts timeouts above physical punishment, it doesn’t help increase misbehaviors. “One study compared 3-year-olds who did not comply with a time-out, half of whom were spanked and the other half kept behind a low barrier. Spanking was not any more effective in correcting the child's misbehavior than the barrier.” (http://www.parentkidsright.com 11/27/06)

The child's self-image begins with how they think their parents perceive them. Spanking portrays a confusing message for children.