Parents have used corporal punishment, known by most as spanking, to discipline their children throughout the ages. While some parents laud the practice, nearly every psychologist and pediatrician agree that corporal punishment is not just bad for kids, but for society as well. I couldn’t agree more. Corporal punishment has led to child abuse and traumatized adults. It has also led to many children learning violence and attacking their parents and others. Corporal punishment should be outlawed because it causes unnecessary harm physically and psychologically. Alternatives to corporal punishment are available and should be utilized by all parents.
People would be better off without corporal punishment. One researcher, Kim Henny emphasizes, “Corporal punishment leads to child abuse in another way-- through its perpetuation of aggressive reactions to conflict”. In other words, the more children are hit, the more likely they are to hit others when they get into arguments with their peers and siblings. As adults, they are probably more likely to hit their spouses. A society with less aggressive people would foster more friendly interactions and fewer disputes involving violence.
There are times that corporal punishment leads to child abuse. Henny stresses, “even relatively moderate spanking can be physically dangerous. Blows to the lower end of the spinal column send shock waves along the length of the spine, and may injure the child." There is no way for parents to know exactly how much force can damage the child permanently. Parents are usually so enraged when hitting a child that it is nearly impossible for them to be precise even if they knew exactly how much force to use. Also, parents are likely to increase the amount of pain given to the child, as the child gets older. Pediatrician Christopher Rizzo explains “Spanking loses its effectiveness over time and therefore must escalate to remain effective. This also can lead to potential physical abuse.” We should follow other countries like Sweden and prohibit corporal punishment. Henny points out, “rates of child abuse have lowered since Sweden's banning of corporal punishment”. If we continue to allow corporal punishment in America and in other countries, some kids will grow up traumatized and resent their parents for the pain they’ve endured during their childhood (Engberg). I personally know a friend who has confided in me that he hates his dad for beating him almost on a daily basis and at times has told me the beatings rose to the level of abuse.
Corporal punishment hurts kids mentally as well. The University of New Hampshire studied 960 children and found that “those who were rarely or never spanked had an average IQ of 102 (above average), whereas the frequently spanked children had an IQ of 98 (below average)” (quoted by Robinson). Children also become depressed as a result of ongoing corporal punishment in the home.. Researcher Roslyn Heights found that “corporal punishment in adolescence is associated with a significantly increased probability of depressive symptoms as an adult, even when controlling for the effects of a number of other variables”. Children are also more likely to become mentally disturbed as a result of corporal punishment. Simons cites a study that has found “corporal punishment […] causes children to develop a negative self-concept and emotional problems” These mental problems may hurt more than any form of physical abuse. While physical scars typically go away with time. Mental scars usually last a lifetime.
Children end up wanting to hurt themselves as a result of corporal punishment. Heights has found that there is a “strong and significant association of corporal punishment with the probability of thinking about suicide” They also try to cope with this by abusing alcohol. Heights discovered “increasing amounts of corporal punishment are associated with an increasing probability of alcohol abuse” If these children were taught without corporal punishment, it is possible that they wouldn’t hate themselves to the point of wanting to hurt themselves. Maybe some suicides could’ve been prevented as well.
Some children actually strike back at their parents and others. Researcher Arina Ulman has discovered through analysis that “parent-to-child violence, either by the mother or the father is associated with an increased probability of child-to-parent violence”. To me, it is not surprising to find children hitting their parents back. It is widely know that children learn a lot of their behavior from parents. Psychologist Ronald Simons found various studies that show “individuals who were subjected to physically abusive parenting during childhood are at risk for drug use and other delinquent behaviors during adolescence […] and criminal behavior during adulthood”. Violent behavior begets more violent behavior. One report by the Gulbenkian Foundation found that “parents have the power to prevent children from turning to violence by keeping aggression, including corporal punishment, out of the home” (Quoted in Boseley). Many crimes could have possibly been prevented if corporal punishment had been banned. It is not too late to stop future crimes by stopping corporal punishment.
Preventing corporal punishment as soon as possible is necessary to stop future generations from experiencing the ill effects of it. Simons explains “that individuals who were subjected to severe physical discipline as children are at risk for utilizing similar parenting strategies with their own offspring” It goes without saying that behavior is often copied from those in our own family. Ending the cycle of violence should be a priority. Without the end of corporal punishment, society will only get worse as time goes by.
There are alternatives to corporal punishment. Parents can utilize time-outs. The way to set up a time-out is to designate a chair and set amount of time to sit there, usually a few minutes. While it may not work with toddlers there is an alternative to that too. Quietly and calmly put the activity away or remove them from the situation. Be firm and calm, even in the face of an ensuing tantrum. You can also give control of what is going to happen next if they don’t stop misbehaving. For example, if the kid is throwing stuff, you can say, “you have a choice, stop throwing stuff or go to your room” Incentives help as well. If the kid knows that if she puts away the blocks, she’ll get ice cream, she is more likely to want to listen. Giving appreciation can make the kid feel special and more the kid is more likely to respond in order to recieve the positive attention. People, especially kids, like to know that what they do makes others happy. Being a good role model is effective too since children learn behaviors from parents. If a parent yells,
screams or hits, the child is likely to do the same. Make-ups are also effective. If a child does something wrong, instead of punishing the child, allow the child to do something to make-up for the mistake. Removing some privileges also gets children to respond. Not only do parents solve the short-term problem with these alternatives, but they can also prevent many of the long-term problems that result from corporal punishment. They can also escape much of the guilt that is associated with hitting a child by following the various methods mentioned above.
Many believe that corporal punishment is ok because they’ve experienced it and turned out ok. However, most of those people when asked how they felt about being spanked as a child look back at the event with anger and/or sadness. While people feel they turned out ok, it is likely that not being spanked would have helped them turn out to be mentally healthier. Some believe that if we don’t spank, the kids will turn out rotten. However, many European societies have outlawed the practice and their kids turned out fine. The Swedish for example, who banned corporal punishment, have a lower assault rate than the U.S., according to Henny. Corporal punishment may get the child to immediately stop the negative behavior the kid is performing, as some point out, but in the long term, it may result in the child growing up believing that everyone who wrongs her deserves physical punishment. The child never learns what she did wrong and how to deal with the situation maturely. Some even have the audacity to say that the Holy Bible encourages spanking. They use the line “Spare the rod, spoil the child” However, the line is misinterpreted. If they examined the chapter more closely, they’d find that the bible recommends that you don’t hit your child but lead by example. There is also little
evidence those in favor of corporal punishment have to demonstrate that spanking makes for a better adult. There is only evidence to show the contrary. Many times common sense is not the best sense. Facts are better to use in guiding our behavior towards others than feelings or flawed beliefs.
There is a wealth of proof showing that corporal punishment is harmful mentally and physically to children. All societies would be better off if corporal punishment was banned. Corporal punishment often times leads to child abuse. Sometimes, corporal punishment leads to children fighting back against their parents and hurting others as well. While many parents believe that corporal punishment is okay and children turn out fine, the fact is that some do not. This practice should be stopped as soon as possible in order to prevent this from continuing to hurt children. There are many alternatives to corporal punishment. If parents really want what is best for their children, they should avoid turning to physical punishment and teach their children how to deal with situations rationally and without violence.

If you made it this far, wow! I have a works cited page, though that is mainly for my professor. I hope I get a good grade on it.