Spanking And Its Repercussions

Spanking your child has created a firestorm of debate among parents and non-parents alike. There appears to be only two sides to the argument, those for and those against. Each offers evidence to support their case, and both sides are fervent in there beliefs. There are many parenting books, classes, and articles on the internet to help people through the process of becoming a parent. Each has there own take on discipline, but most I have read are against spanking.

The idea of discipline has changed a lot over the years. My Grandfather had very stern rules when it came to punishment. My father on the other hand was a lot more lax. Now that I myself am a father, I am grappling with the questions of what to do with my children. I don't believe in spanking. I take the approach of time outs, and other various forms of punishment.

In San Francisco it is illegal to spank your child. Whether or not the government should intervene in the discipline of people's children is a touchy subject. On one hand I applaud their decision. But on the other, the thought of Big Brother enters my mind. If a law can be passed legislating how we punish our children, how far can they go? And in which direction? If one municipality decides spanking is bad, what is to stop another from deciding it is good? Do we want laws passed stating that we should, or have to spank our children? The chances of that happening are slim, but stranger things have happened. Enforcing the law becomes even harder. Parents who normally would spank their child in public will hold in there anger until they are home. The beatings a child will get could become worse. Most people are afraid to intervene on other parents. They believe it is not their place. So the chances of someone getting caught are not good.

There has been a shift of late from a more liberal mindset, to a more conservative one. With that change I have noticed a pattern. More and more parents I converse with are pro spanking, even going as far to brag about it. It is not uncommon to hear people talking about how their parents beat them when they were children, and how they believe they turned out better for it. But there are numerous other accounts of how people were scarred emotionally, and physically from such abuse. I have too many times seen parents beating their children at stores, parks, and other very