Should Spanking be Outlawed in the US?

[pointblank]

Charles M. Blow

According to reports about the Adrian Peterson felony abuse indictment, Peterson’s 4-year-old son pushed another of Peterson’s sons off a video game. Peterson then retrieved a tree branch — called a “switch” — stripped off its leaves, shoved leaves into the boy’s mouth and beat him with his pants down until he bled. Read more...










www.thebuffalobullet.com

[nogods]

We don't have to outlaw spanking, we just need to educate people before they become parents that there is never any need to use physical violence to discipline a child. I raised four kids as a single parent and never once had to use physical violence to discipline them. A person who doesn't know how to discipline a child without physical violence simply isn't mature enough to be a parent. It's sad that so many parents either won't think or can't think beyond "I gotta cause this kid physical pain." When physical violence is used to discipline the child the parent has stopped thinking and is merely acting like a child.

[pointblank]

I don't doubt there are some kids who can be raised without spankings, but others aren't going to respond well without it. I came close to whacking my grandson just this morning because he didn't want to get out of bed for school, and then he wants to test me. He's 6, is generally well-behaved, but has his moments. Been with us over a month and a half now and only put my hand on him three times.

If you can get away with not spanking them that's great, but I find the problem to be not with spanking, but today's parents who opt to spank simply don't know how. For example what Peterson is described as doing has NOTHING to do with spanking. I set the record in my family for spankings and my parents never drew blood or broke skin. What the hell was he thinking? I'm old-school, hard-head, soft behind. If used properly it works. I really really believe those parents who listened to doctor Ben Spock way back when, created Skinheads, Bloods, and Crips. These are all Single -mom or no spanking-created kids who grew up in the '80's perfectly prepared to distribute the drugs and used the weapons the government snuck int othis country.





www.thebuffalobullet.com

[nogods]

I don't doubt there are some kids who can be raised without spankings, but others aren't going to respond well without it.

www.thebuffalobullet.com

That is a seriously flawed viewed. There are some people, adults and children, on whom discipline of any sort is not going to work. But those children who won't respond to intelligent non-violent discipline are the very ones on whom the use of violence for discipline will have the most negative consequences. Resorting to violence in those circumstances is the worst thing a parent can do.

Moreover, the parents who use violence against children are not the type who have first exhausted the almost endless means of non-violent forms of discipline. Rather, they are the type that beat their kids and beat their dogs as the only means of discipline that they know, probably largely because they were raised by equally ignorant parents themselves.

Most people know better than to use violence to discipline a dog, especially when the dog is agitated in the first place. Perhaps the problem is that there are too many people like Mike Vic who don't know how to treat dogs or children because of their unfortunate upbringing.

and if a parent has concluded that a child won't respond to any type of discipline other than violence, then the child has psychological problems that need to be addressed - and not by foisting violence on that child.

Any human that can't be disciplined without violence is in need of mental health services.

[sharky]

no it should not be outlawed

and what peterson did wasn't spanking

spanking is a few swats with an open hand

[FisherRd]

I was a kid that needed a swat. I can vividly recall 3 different times a corrective whack worked.
None of the whacks hurt, physically. They more or less shocked and embarrassed me to the point I immediately corrected my behavior and learned a lesson.
Then there were the smacks I received from teachers. Those stung, and more or less worked. I was much more cautious about my behavior in those teachers classes.

Outlaw spanking? This nanny state BS and those that promote it are nuts.

[dgrzeb]

I don't know, I used to like "spanking" my bad girlfriends, they liked it also !!

[WNYresident]

I was a kid that needed a swat. I can vividly recall 3 different times a corrective whack worked.
None of the whacks hurt, physically. They more or less shocked and embarrassed me to the point I immediately corrected my behavior and learned a lesson.
Then there were the smacks I received from teachers. Those stung, and more or less worked. I was much more cautious about my behavior in those teachers classes.

Outlaw spanking? This nanny state BS and those that promote it are nuts.

I agree with fisherrd.

A slap on the ass is not the same and physically beating a kid. There is a line that some people cross that shouldn't happen but to outlaw "spanking" seems a bit much.

[dgrzeb]

Seriously, I was spanked by my mom mostly, my dad used the belt a couple of times. It sure got my attention, I to this day respect him & "most" authorities because of this "punishment", words just don't do it, the old "Wait until your father gets home" sure made you straighten out fast, now drawing blood is far too harsh (as Peterson supposedly did ?), but there's a lot of things that draw blood that are legal, or very small crimes...

[dgrzeb]

I agree with fisherrd.

A slap on the ass is not the same and physically beating a kid. There is a line that some people cross that shouldn't happen but to outlaw "spanking" seems a bit much.

Of course there's a line as to abuse & legit punishment, drawing blood is surely one of them...

[joe d.]

A spanking in moderation can be a useful discipline tool...drawing blood is torture...
I was raised with a "cat o' nine tails' in lieu of a belt...knowing that if I misbehaved, getting that on my ass...a few swats..was a great deterrent...which I respected...eventually I smartened up...and one day it suddenly diappeared!! LOL.

[nogods]

A spanking in moderation can be a useful discipline tool...drawing blood is torture...
I was raised with a "cat o' nine tails' in lieu of a belt...knowing that if I misbehaved, getting that on my ass...a few swats..was a great deterrent...which I respected...eventually I smartened up...and one day it suddenly diappeared!! LOL.

First, if you only responded to discipline focused on causing you physical pain, then your parents should have taken you to a mental health provider rather than beating you with a "cat o' nine tails".

Second, if you would have responded to more intelligent means of discipline, then your parents should have used the more intelligent means of discipline.

There is no excuse for using violence to discipline children. Either the child will respond to more intelligent means or the child has psychological issues that need to be addressed. A parent who resorts to violence to discipline either a child or a dog also has his or her own psychological issues that need to be addressed.

Passing ignorance on from one generation to another is not a badge of honor or something to be proud of.

[joe d.]

First, if you only responded to discipline focused on causing you physical pain, then your parents should have taken you to a mental health provider rather than beating you with a "cat o' nine tails".

Second, if you would have responded to more intelligent means of discipline, then your parents should have used the more intelligent means of discipline.

There is no excuse for using violence to discipline children. Either the child will respond to more intelligent means or the child has psychological issues that need to be addressed. A parent who resorts to violence to discipline either a child or a dog also has his or her own psychological issues that need to be addressed.

Passing ignorance on from one generation to another is not a badge of honor or something to be proud of.

Tell that to the thousands of taxpayer funded prison inmates who had no guidance, discipline or respect taught to them by their parents...but wait...isnt that what we are nurturing now in our city schools!!

[nogods]

Tell that to the thousands of taxpayer funded prison inmates who had no guidance, discipline or respect taught to them by their parents...but wait...isnt that what we are nurturing now in our city schools!!

Yep, most of them were disciplines with violence - and it didn't work, it just made things worse.

Let's go over it again:

1. if a child will only respond to discipline based on physical pain, then that child has psychological problems that physical violence will only make worse.

2. If a child will respond to discipline methods other than physical violence, then there is no reason to use physical violence.

3. If a parent thinks physical violence is an effective means of discipline then either the parent is uneducated about effective child rearing or has his or her own psychological problems.

Parents who hit their children are just raising Cains

How does physical discipline affect children?

Children in the 1997 study whose parents used corporal punishment to reduce anti-social behavior actually experienced the opposite from their children in the long run an increased probability of aggression and other antisocial behavior.

Disciplining children by spanking does not facilitate learning. Instead, it may halt the unwanted behavior only while the child is in the adult’s presence, or it may scare a child into submission. While it may teach a child what not to do, it fails to teach a child what is expected of him or her and what is an alternate behavior. Additionally, physical discipline is most often used when the parent is frustrated or without other resource. Spanking in these circumstances may lead to an unintentional injury or more serious abuse. The following illustrate more of what physical discipline does:

-Increases anxiety and fear
-Hinders the development of empathy and compassion for others
-Makes children angry in response
-Heightens aggression toward others
-Decreases compliance and increases resistance
-Harms relationship with parent or caregiver
-Potentially causes unintended and severe physical injury
-Decreases self-esteem
-Increases the probability for an array of undesirable social and psychological behaviors
-Teaches that violence is an acceptable way to handle conflict

American Psychological Association

Parent's Use of Physical Punishment Increases Violent Behavior Among Youth

In this study, researchers examined the relationship between young adolescents’ involvement in and attitudes toward violence, parental use of physical punishment, and parental expectations of violence use (both perceived and stated) among youth. The study was conducted with the participation of 134 parents and their children (aged 10-15 years), focusing on both urban and suburban populations.

Adolescents who were more likely to engage in fighting, bullying, and victimization of others reported that their parents engaged in corporal punishment as a disciplining method.

As this study suggests, if parents use negative forms of discipline (i.e., physical punishment), their children are more likely to use violence to resolve their own conflicts. Parents are the most influential people in their children’s lives, and children’s behaviors are often a reflection of their observations and imitation of parental behaviors. Children’s early life experiences, which are in large part provided by their families, set the stage for how they will develop the ability to think, feel, trust, and relate to others. Particularly during the early years, when children have not fully developed the cognitive ability to understand and interpret their experiences, they are more vulnerable to violence exposure, and their early experiences may have long-term psychological impact.

Why Spanking Is Not the Best Choice

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend spanking. Although most Americans were spanked as children, we now know that it has several important side effects.

Even though spanking may seem to "work" at first, it loses its impact after a while.
Because most parents do not want to spank, they are less likely to be consistent.
Spanking increases aggression and anger instead of teaching responsibility.
Parents may intend to stay calm but often do not, and then regret their actions later.
Spanking can lead to physical struggles and even grow to the point of harming the child.

It is true that many adults who were spanked as children may be well-adjusted and caring people today. However, research has shown that, when compared with children who are not spanked, children who are spanked are more likely to become adults who are depressed, use alcohol, have more anger, hit their own children, hit their spouses, and engage in crime and violence. These adult outcomes make sense because spanking teaches a child that causing others pain is OK if you're frustrated or want to maintain control—even with those you love. A child is not likely to see the difference between getting spanked from his parents and hitting a sibling or another child when he doesn't get what he wants.

[WNYresident]

A thread from the past. People still find these older threads...

Thu 8/15/2024 10:55 AM

Hi there


I'm Ava and I'm a member of a Women's Rights action group. I head our anti-domestic violence activity (a BURNING subject, especially nowadays). One of my tasks is to find how aware people are of the crazy increase in domestic abuse cases in the last period.

I came across your site and found some great and useful material there (so thanks for that!). But while I was searching, I also found this page: https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-re...esource-guide/. It's a full GLOBAL list of international help centers and organizations for victims all over the world. I've seen nothing like that anywhere online!

Many victims don't know whom to turn to and their friends don't know how to help, especially if the victim is in another country. Can you add it to your page here: https://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sh...5&mode=linear? If I got to your page, many others will and we can help victims during these crazy times!

Thanks a bunch! ����