The Relationship Between Spanking and Emotional Damage

There is no doubt that when it comes to a temper-tantrum throwing toddler, all parents want to do is make the behavior stop. However, it is the way parents have been choosing to discipline their child which is raising questions in congress. Whether or not parents spank their children is one of the hot topics among experts and society alike. Parents who do it argue if carried out properly and only occasionally, spanking can be an effective disciplinary tool. Parents who do not do it, protest hitting a child only teaches them violence is the way to solve problems. If spanking is related to corporal punishment of children, then parents who spank their children have a greater risk of causing their children emotional damage. An analysis of spanking children reveals three principle problems facing parents: define spanking, is spanking appropriate for their family, and what are my alternatives.

There have been many studies on how many parents spank their children, yet there have been far fewer studies as to why parents feel the need to hit in the first place. If the old methods worked for our parents, they will work just as well for current generations. To some, spanking means "slapping a child on the buttocks" (Straus, 1995), while others consider spanking a generic term for any corporal punishment that does not cause an injury, such as slapping a child's hand for touching something forbidden or dangerous. In 1996 the American academy of Pediatrics issued a consensus statement on corporal punishment. Spanking, one form of corporal punishment, is defined as:

Physical non-injurious

Intended to modify behavior

Administered by an open hand to the child's arms, legs, or buttocks

Everyone agrees consistent discipline is an important tool for parents raising their children.

Here are the proportions of American parents reporting the use of corporal punishment in a 12-month period, by age of children:

Roberts (2007) states for the study corporal punishment was defined as "the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control of the child's behavior. The most common methods used: spanking on the bottom with a bare hand and slapping on the hand, arm or leg.

California Assembly member Sally Lieber stated in a phone interview with apRoberts "Children are the last group in society that it is OK for people to hit." If we want to truly give our children better than what we had, as a society we need to stop looking the other way and and offer positive alternatives for child discipline.

There are those people who listen to Andero & Stewart (n.d.) stating that all over the country, traditional schools are springing up. Their avowed purpose is to get back to the basics of education and to stress effective discipline. Often this involves relatively severe corporal punishment for misbehavior. These traditional schools are filled to the point of overflowing.

Consequently due to these far different opinions on the definition of corporal punishment, it will be a long time before society comes to any common ground. Some say spanking is not always wrong; however, many studies by experts do not distinguish between degrees of spanking. A swat on the bottom by a parents hand is much different then 10 hits with a wooden spoon.

If parents are following how they were disciplined as a child, then lets test the argument by examining a few real-life examples of standards which have changed in the last 20 years.

1.There was always an ashtray sitting on the table when going out to dinner. The aroma of cigarette smoke was always present. And we turned out all right.

2.The early cars had no seat belts and everyone piled in the backseat, with the expectation gravity would keep people in place. And we turned out all right.

3.All the houses in which we lived that had rooms painted with lead-based paint. And we turned out all right.

Today people do not do these things anymore, exposing children to these risks, because now the negative effects are known. Education is the key to learning new discipline techniques which are still effective in teaching children right from wrong. This is not to say spanking should be totally eliminated.

Paul (2006) documented, after reviewing 38 studies of spanking, Robert Larzelere, a psychologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, concluded that in children under 7, non-abusive spanking reduced misbehavior with out harmful effects. Not only does spanking work, Larzelere says but it also reinforces milder forms of discipline, so that children are more apt to respond without spanking the next time.

However, as most adults can say as a child they were spanked and therefore argue what was good for them, is good for their children. I question, if parents truly thought about how they felt at the time of the spanking, whether they would want their own children to feel shame and stupidity for not doing the right thing. When a parent spanks a child "for their own good" the child then has a loss of trust in their parent. The effect of losing trust for a child, in their closest caregiver, can damage the child's future abilities to trust creating a lifelong issue. In an overwhelming majority of homes where parents are violent toward their children, there is also violence against their spouse. Once violence starts it can escalate and become more severe as time goes on. Riak states that parents who deliver the so-called "good smack" are not teaching their children hot stoves and busy streets are dangerous. They are teaching them the grownups upon whom they depend are dangerous.

A large majority of parents who support spanking for their family,use the Bible as their way to justify corporal punishment. Sears (2006) says it is absolutely wrong and against God's every word to be mean and abusive toward a child or to strike a child out of frustration, hostility, or anger. Parents would be more effective if they refused to spank, due to the fact, parents would need to come up with more positive ways to redirect their child's energy. Praise kids for good behavior, and it is likely you will see more of it (Straus 2007).

The primary reason parents turn to spanking is because they are not aware of alternative methods for changing their child's undesirable behavior. Parents often have unrealistic expectations about what their children can comprehend. Below are researched guild lines which are age appropriate for alternative disciplining methods.

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