I’ve never been a fan of spanking or any form of corporal punishment, but it doesn’t mean that I abhor them completely. Parents today argue as to whether or not spanking a child can be good or bad for them in the long run, and quite frankly, the argument has become cyclical without relying so much on various child development theories and existing psychological theories.
So is it okay to spank a misbehaving child once in a while?
Strong correlation between corporal punishment and child abuse
According to an article written in IFLScience.Com, mental health professionals cited strong correlation between corporal punishment and child abuse, suggesting that “spanking is the first step in the cycle of child abuse.”
Michelle Knox, like most mental health professionals, noted the irony that it is against the law to strike prisoners, criminals, or adults in the USA but it is perfectly legal to hit the most vulnerable people in society – CHILDREN.
But aren’t there exceptions? Can’t a light tap to the backside do a misbehaving child some good, or at the very least, cause any significant harm? Parents think so, but specialists suggest otherwise, claiming that there’s no sufficient evidence to support that claim. In general, spanking often leads to teaching children aggression.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Should we spank a misbehaving child?
From a professional and personal standpoint, I do believe that it’s not okay to spank a child even when they are misbehaving. They are children after all.
Though some parents that it’s a good way to change bad behavior, you can use a different approach by means of proper application of conditioning techniques as taught by Ivan Pavlov and BF Skinner.
Corporal punishment may be something we received back when we were still young, but times are different now. Children are more malleable and easier to mold, and thus, any mistake of introducing aggression into their lives could be detrimental to their development.
