This philosophy's been around a long time.
In fact, a study done by Zero to Three, a nonprofit
child-development group, found that 61 percent of the adults who
responded condone spanking as a regular form of punishment. The
percentage of parents who actually use spanking is believed to
be much higher.
And when my five year old son's behavior went beyond annoying a
few days ago, I felt inclined to join the majority and swat him
to "teach him a lesson."
Most parents reach this point with their kids. We feel as though
we can't take any more of what our kids are dishing out. It
usually happens when we're tired, stressed, and overdone.
So what are our choices when we reach this point?
Spanking certainly can take care of things quickly and can
temporarily change your kids behavior. But there are many
reasons to question the practice of spanking your kids. Here’s
five of them:
1. Do you really want your kids to be afraid of you?
Kids will sometimes obey more readily when they're afraid of
you. Is this what you really want? What happens when they're six
feet two and two hundred pounds? Effective parenting is based on
love and respect, not fear.
2. Spanking shows your kids that you lack self-control
The huge majority of spanking incidents come when a parent is
angry. What is quite clear to your child is this: when my Dad or
Mom gets angry, they hit me. And when the same child hits his
sister when he gets angry, do you demand that he shows better
self-control?
Something’s wrong with this picture. We teach our kids best
through our own actions.
3. You may breed resentment and anger in your kids
Kids who are spanked usually don't learn a great deal about
"correcting" their misbehavior. They don't usually sit up in
their rooms and say, "Gosh, I can really see after getting
spanked that I was wrong. I'll do better now." They do think
about how angry their Dad or Mom is, and they can develop a good
deal of resentment for their parents.
4. Spanking shows your kids that "might makes right”
Adults make mistakes in their lives too, right? Can we use our
imaginations and feel what it would be like for someone four
times our size to pick us up and swat us on the butt? What would
we learn from that? Would we feel any injustice? You can bet
that your kids are feeling some.
5. Spanking isn't effective in the long run
Parents who are asked why they spank will report that they use
it to "teach their kids a lesson," or so they won't misbehave
again. Many kids who are spanked will go underground with their
misbehavior and become more cunning to avoid being caught.
(Wouldn't you?) If you're spanking your kids fairly often,
doesn't this show that it's not working very well?
I don't believe that kids who are spanked occasionally are
ruined for life. Nor do I believe that spanking is necessary to
discipline a child. There are countless examples of disciplined
and responsible young people who were never spanked by their
parents.
Parents who don't spank their kids use time outs, re-directing,
or distracting with their kids. They can pick their kids up and
let them cool down, or simply leave the area themselves so they
don't do something they'd regret later.
While these methods aren't always perfect, they help to form the
foundation of a certain kind of household: One in which violence
is not "taught" as a means to better behavior.
After all, we live in a world that's filled with violence.
Can't we provide a place for our kids where there isn't any?
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