Spanking has been a method of disciplining children in China for quite some time because it is believed that it is the best approach to educate a child. It involves intentionally inducing temporary pain to the buttocks of a child using the hand (Ferguson 196). There are other forms of spanking where parents use other objects to inflict the pain.
At this point, it is referred to as corporal punishment that has globally been identified as child abuse. In most countries, child abuse is considered violent because it involves physical punishment that results to pain. As such, both spanking and violence are forms of child abuse because they are administered with the sole aim of inflicting pain to the child (Straus 7).
The major difference between spanking and violence is that spanking does not lead to physical injuries as in case of aggression. Therefore, the act of spanking children is a method of teaching children to become aggressive and should not be allowed (Straus 7). This paper will discuss the reasons why spanking should not be allowed.
Young children learn how to handle conflicts in life through the association with their parents. Research has shown that parents who spank their children affect their conflict resolution behavior because such children become hostile (Taylor 57). For example, I grew up in a family where my mother based her discipline method on spanking.
This was normal until I became used to it as a way of life. Every day I would expect to be hit because I liked playing with the neighbors’ children something my mother had forbidden me from doing. On several occasions I would also do the same to my younger sister when we had been left alone.
As if this was not enough, every day I had a fighting case at school because I would strike anybody who appeared junior than me whenever they wronged me. Ever since, I have solved my issues through cruelty. This proves that children brought up in families that practice spanking became vicious in the future. Therefore, spanking should not be allowed in children.
Most parents take spanking as a right because the same was administered to them when they were young. Supporters of the act claim that it enables a child to grow and learn to behave in a proper manner. This is not the case because it does not allow a child to understand why he or she is spanked in the first place (Straus 10).
My experience when I was a young boy supports the fact that this act does not facilitate learning, but it instills a sense of fear. One day I wanted to touch a stove while my mother was preparing tea in the morning. I had seen her touch the stove several times and I wanted to feel it too. My mother slapped me immediately as I attempted to do it.
Since that day I have never wished to touch the hot stove although I wondered why I was not allowed. As I grew up I learned that the stove was hot and it would have burnt my hand something my mother never told me. Therefore, spanking does not support learning, but it is just an approach to instill fear in children.
The major role of parents is to provide protection and nurture their children to become good and responsible individuals in the future. Children take their parents as their role models because they value their parents so much. This routine by parents leads to a situation where a child lowers their self-esteem (Ferguson 196). Most parents do not highlight the reason why they occasionally hit their children.
This makes the child wonder why he or she should be taken through this by a person who is supposed to give him or her protection. As a result children develop fear against their parents, which in turn lowers their self esteem. Additionally, the value of the parent to his child is considerably reduced because such acts affect the psychological well-being of a child (Taylor 57).
In addition, it does not change or improve the behavior of the child. Children do not understand why they are slapped and parents are not bothered to tell their children the truth. Although spanking may be used as a caution, when a child does not understand the mistake there will not be a change in behavior.
There are various alternatives to spanking that parents can use. When spanking is spontaneous, the parent should explain the reason for that act to the child immediately. This should be followed by apologies that he or she lost control. The child will understand the mistake and adjust accordingly.
Children should also be allowed to learn from experiences because it helps to develop their decision making skills in the future. In conclusion, spanking does not improve the behavior of a child or develop learning. As such, it should not be allowed.
Works Cited
Ferguson, Chris (2013). “Spanking, corporal punishment and negative long-term outcomes: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies.” Clinical Psychology Review 33.1(2010): 196–208. Print.
Straus, Murray. The primordial violeizce: Corporal punishment by parents, cognitizie dezi~dopmenta, nd crime. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 2004. Print.
Taylor, Catherine. “Mothers’ spanking of 3-year-old children and subsequent risk of children’s aggressive behavior.” Pediatrics 125.5(2010): 57–65. Print.