Here’s another addition to the list of studies I thought I’d never see. I guess Proverbs 13:24 is correct. It seems disciplining your children isn’t so bad. Well, as long as your not abusing them.
According to the research, children spanked up to the age of 6 were likely as teenagers to perform better at school and were more likely to carry out volunteer work and to want to go to college than their peers who had never been physically disciplined.
But children who continued to be spanked into adolescence showed clear behavioral problems.
What is a parent to do if there adolescent child needs a good spanking? It’s kind of like a chicken and egg discussion. Do the spankings lead to behavior problems or do the behavioral problems lead to spanking? Anyway, my parents stopped with the spankings for me around 12 I think? Maybe a little younger. I think I turned out all right. I’ve never been arrested. Ultimately children need discipline. There’s no doubt a lot of our educational problems in this country boil down to parental issues.
Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child buttock-battering (euphemistically labeled “spanking”,”swatting”,”switching”,”smacking”, “paddling”,or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like “Supernanny” and “Dr. Phil” are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit http://www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches’ Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus’ Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The vast majority of professionals agree that child buttock-battering isn’t healthy. A marginal few (mostly religious fundamentalists as those at Calvin) think that child bottom-slapping is good. They use the same selective literalist interpretation of the Bible as was used to justify “witch”-burning, depraved torture methods for those accused of sin and heresy, slavery, racism, wife-beating, oppression of women and a host of other social ills.
Do you have any studies to cite? I’m sure you haven’t read my blog before, but I’m hardly convinced when someone cites “the vast majority of professionals” in an argument.
the vast majority of scientists also agree that global warming is a serious man made issue that needs to be addressed…or do they? I agree that a study should be cited but a study can be skewed to find whatever conclusion you want. Findings should be looked at like trying to solve a homicide. For example, why was the study performed? Who performed it? Who paid for it? Who benefits from the conclusion found? Personally, i don’t see anything wrong with corporal punishment because i was raised that way. Granted i have been to jail a couple times more than my saintly friend nemov, but never for a crime which involved a victim (maybe me). However, my wife tells me that will never happen, and it is nearly impossible as a new parent to argue TO hit your kids.
okay?