spanking

spanking

  • Submitted By: HONOURA
  • Date Submitted: 10/29/2015 7:07 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1462
  • Page: 6



Spanking: An Effective Way to Discipline
Remember a time when a parent disciplined a child in front of you. What was that child doing to deserve the punishment they received? Was the punishment appropriate for the behavior or should the child simply have been scolded? Spanking is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “to strike on the buttocks with an open hand”, and I will refer back to this definition throughout this essay. In our modern day world of dummy guides and internet searches for every type of information out there, parenting is not something you can simply read about, and children do not come with a user manual. With each child being so unique, discipline needs to be individualized according to the child, and reason for the discipline. For some children a time out is enough to set them straight, other situations require a more hands on approach. Spanking has become a taboo form of discipline over the years. Spanking should not be considered an outdated form of discipline; it should be used in a consistent manner by a calm, loving parent. Spanking can and should be considered as a form of discipline that parents can use, among others, to teach children to be accountable for their actions.
Spanking seems to have become a taboo topic around the time Dr. Spock proclaimed in his book “Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care” that spanking was detrimental to a child, he states that;
“There are several reasons to avoid physical punishment. It teaches children the larger, stronger person has the power to get his way, whether or not he is in the right. Some spanked children then feel quite justified in beating up on smaller ones. The American tradition of spanking may be one reason there is much more violence in our country than in any other comparable nation.” (Spock).
Although Dr. Spock speaks to the point that physical punishment teaches children that the bigger person always wins, this is not a proven fact; being a bully is an attitude and a mentality,...

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