Spanking Can Be A Very Useful Tool

Spanking can be a very useful tool

As a child I received spankings for any of my misbehaviors. Now as a parent myself with a five- year- old son, I understand why my parents did the things they did. My son has had a few spankings in his life. Spanking a child is just fine with me as long as you spank them on their buttocks. Spanking can correct misbehavior and will not harm a child for life. There are a lot of pro’s and con’s to the spanking issue that might have a lot of people confused on this.

Spanking is done by giving the child a few swats on the buttocks. Spanking a child out of anger is not an option. You job is to correct a situation and not make it worse. A child can tell if you spank them in anger or trying to correct their behavior in a calm manner. After you spank a child, let them think of what they did wrong. You need to make sure that you talk to them when both of you are calm enough to talk. I believe most parents do spank only when it is necessary, and when it is appropriate.

“I don't think occasional, non-abusive spanking when

young children misbehave is going to cause problems вЂ"

if the spanking is done right after the infraction in

order to teach a simple lesson, if it is not

especially painful, and, most important, if the

emotional tone of your home is loving and nurturing

the rest of the time.” This is what Dr. Steven Parker

believes, who is a pediatrician. (Parker, S. (2004).

To spank or not to spank?. In WebMD. Retrieved March

21, 2007, from ”

http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/15/97155.htm)

This table describes some of the pros and cons of spanking:

Grounding Spanking

Pro Con Pro Con

no pain intense pain

takes long time over quickly

time to think little time to think

friends know privacy

less humiliating more humiliating

lower impact higher impact

no physical risks risk of abuse/injury

risk of frustration

instead of remorse might be more

effective

... ...

(Spank with Love. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2007, from http://www.smartspanking.com/howcan.html spankwithlove@hotmail.com. )

As you can see, spanking gives a higher impact. Yes, it can cause injury or abuse but that all depends on the parent or parents are unable to give out spankings without causing injury/abuse, they then should not spank. When I give my child a spanking it’s because he was told to do something or told to stop a behavior, and he still did not listen. He understands that a spanking is a last resort that his father and I do. I never spank in anger, or use an object. My parents always warned me first and let me know that if I did not correct my behavior that a spanking would follow. That is what my son’s father and I also believe in.

“It is absolute nonsense to suggest that parents using

a loving approach, using logic, and having some

education and common sense on when and how to spank

children can, in anyway, harm the child. Said a Board

Certified Psychiatrist [unknown author]”

(Letters from a psychiatrist. (n.d.). Retrieved March

21, 2007, from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/

Academy/9053/spankingltr.htm A Board Certified

Psychiatrist[unknown author] benign1@email.com)

There are some parents who take spanking to the extreme, which is called “child abuse”. I believe those are the parents that should not spank their children. If you cannot control your temper and you know that you have violent tendencies, you should not spank your child, and deal with your child’s misbehavior in another way. After giving your child a spanking, you should sit down with your child and talk about what they did wrong, and then give them a hug and let them know you love them. Spanking a child is just one way to punish your child. You have to find the best way that works with your child. Many of us have had spankings as a child and turned out just fine.

Many kids however have not. They did not turn out so well because their parents took it too far and abused them badly. Spanking is something that is not for all kids, but most can learn quite well from getting spanked. As we all have seen in the past, spanking was just a part of life, but because a few parents who could not handle themselves, it has become an issue for all of us. Giving timeouts or taking privileges away might work for your kids, but it might not work for all, just like spanking, doesn’t work for all. Before you make the decision to spank your child, see if you can find other ways of correcting misbehavior. If you choose to spank, make sure you do it on the buttocks with an open-hand, and most importantly, make sure you are not angry.

There are rewards to spanking your child. Let me name a few things that will benefit you and your child: Your child will learn to forgive and be forgiven, that there are consequences for every action he/she does, and that you love him/her enough to teach them the right way of going through life.

Some kids are not lucky to have parents who can spank to correctbehavior and who instead spank as a form of abuse. Here is a chart to tell the difference