Posted on 11/21/2005 10:25:57 AM PST by Barney59
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who are spanked when they misbehave are more likely to be anxious and aggressive than children who are disciplined in nonphysical ways, research shows. This is true even if spanking is the "cultural norm."
Whether parents should spank their children or use other forms of physical discipline is controversial. Some experts argue that children should not be spanked when they act out citing evidence that it leads to more, rather than fewer, behavior problems and it could escalate into physical abuse. There are data to support this argument.
Other experts, however, argue that the effects of spanking and physical discipline might depend on the characteristics of the child and family and the circumstances in which it is used.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Spare the stick and......
I bet TO was spanked.
Whatever. It appears to me that too many parents are sparing the rod these days. Watching teenagers use foul language right in front of the parent(s) has become the norm. And here I am, a full grown adult, and I can't even make my mouth form the words to speak such language in front of my folks.
Agreed, everything in moderation... But love is the key!
i was spanked as a child, as was my older sister, as were my parents, and their parents. we all turned out well. my youngest sister as well as my father's youngest sister were the least punished, and subsequently the ones that cannot take care of themselves, and have gotten into the most trouble in life.
my 2 year old is learning that if she does something wrong, she gets one warning, and then a spanking. she is also learning that she does not like them. in the last few days, she has come and apologised a couple times for doing something wrong before i even caught her.
The study was on only 336 mothers and their chilren, none in the U. S. And in those countries where the cocial norm involves physical discipline, the relationship was weaker than in the other countries.
IOW, inadequate research to draw such conclusions from.
As the parent of a 7-year old, I can't imagine ever spanking my kid.
There are so many other ways to negatively reinforce undesirable behavior, that I have never found it necessary to resort to this tactic.
Many Freepers say they were spanked as children, and it didn't do them harm. Maybe so. I'm not in a position to judge.
But I know that I just don't have it in me to hit my child with sufficient force to cause real pain -- which is what would be required for the "punishment" to be effective.
Moreover, what happens during the teen-age years, when the child is old enough, strong enough and angry enough to hit back?
If corporal punishment is the normal means of discipline, I think at some point it must necessarily become counter-productive and lose its effectiveness.
In fact, I think spanking ultimately indicates a parent's failure and lack of control. Instilling momentary fear of physical punishment in a kid over time has to create a long-term lack of respect, mistrust and resentment towards the parent.
And I think that as the child matures, the repercussions of that are not worth the momentary appearance of control a parent may gain by administering a spanking.
Flame away if you must, but I just don't get it.
No flames from me.
I wonder what you did in response to demands accompanied by screaming fits, the sort of thing younger-than-7's often resort to. A good quick swat always seemed to do the trick for me, and now, when my extremely well-mannered 7-year-old sees kids acting that way, she comments, "If I acted like that, I'd land on the other side of Pluto."
Maddox rules!
Retarded people - kids and adults - are effectively disciplined by their counselors while under massive legal threat for any physical punishment.
Same goes for the very old and mentally-gone elderly who become.... "stubborn". But watch the lawyers pounce at any sign of negative re-enforcement, even a light smack.
I'm not against harsh punishment, I just think it should come from your drill instructor - not someone you love.
Spare the rod, spoil the child.
They say the same thing about rooting out terrorists. It only makes them more angry. Life is hard.
Moderation is the best way to handle parenting. The kids who are the most likely to be aggressive and misbehave are either the ones who have never been disciplined and have no limits set on them, or the ones who are punished too harshly and consequently become angry and rebellious.
To paraphrase a great conservative hero, "Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue, but moderation in parenting is a very strong virtue."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.