Should Not Spank Children

429 Words2 Pages
Parents use discipline to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. The type of discipline parents use is entirely up to them but, ninety percent of parents say that they have used hitting as a mean of discipline on their child, and most parents say that it was used on them when they were young. Spanking is a form of discipline that has been used by many parents; but it is now becoming the method that is being frowned upon by most doctors and many parents. "The American Academy of Pediatricians say that spanking might actually do more harm than good", meaning that the spanking will not correct the problems that the child has, but only make them worse. In some countries around the globe, such as Norway and Sweden, elected officials have made it totally illegal for parents to spank their child. Since this happened Oakland, California has established an official "No Spanking Zone." This proposes a question, is spanking a good form of discipline? From what the doctors say it certainly appears not to be and I think most parents tend to agree that spanking is not an acceptable form of discipline anymore. Most opinions still lean toward spanking being a form of abuse and that spanking a child is totally unacceptable because striking a young child will not actually teach them to be good. Spanking also hurts children mentally and spanking a child is no different from hitting some one else. The majority of parents that hit their kids are at the point of frustration and anger where they feel that spanking is the last thing left for them to do. Spanking can be ineffective because it does not teach an alternative behavior. Children may feel resentful, humiliated, and helpless after being spanked. As a result, the lesson they learn appears to be they should try harder not to get caught. Also, it sends the wrong message to children. Spanking can

More about Should Not Spank Children

Open Document