To Spank, or Not to Spank

To Spank, Or Not To Spank

COM/156

October 30, 2011

Parents have different ways of punishing their child. Anything from grounding them from things, making them do extra chores, time outs and spanking them. The most effective of these, is spanking. In a research project by Marjorie Gunnoe, “children who were spanked between the ages of 2 and 6 grew up to be happier and well-adjusted as teenagers.” Spanking a child is not abuse. It is a means of punishment. You should only use your hand to spank your child. Showing your child they have done wrong, by spanking, will teach them to not do what it is that they did, again. You should never use a belt, shoe, switch, or any other foreign object. Those would be considered weapons, and that would be child abuse. Spanking is not a hateful means of punishment. It shows the child they have done wrong and need to be punished. It is an effective means of punishment. Children learn not to do the same wrong again. A child will grow up “happier and well-adjusted” by spanking them.
The controversy of spanking is worldwide. Opinions differ on pro-corporal punishment and anti-corporal punishment. People who are against corporal punishment believe that spanking is child abuse. They say there are better ways of punishing a child. People who are for corporal punishment believe that spanking is a good form of punishment, yet they also know there are different ways of punishing a child. Parents who spank their children find it is more effective as a punishment.
A research done by Marjorie Gunnoe, psychology professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, states that “spanking is more effective on children ages 2 to 6 years old.” It has also been said you should not spank a child under 18 months old or a child over the age of 10. Spanking a child over the age of 10 can have a negative effect and make a child more aggressive growing up. The American College of Pediatricians, or ACP, reviewed the research on corporal punishment and concluded that spanking, as discipline, can be effective on children when it is used properly, but should not be solely relied on to keep your children in line.
Spanking your child out of anger, or with anything other than your hand, leaving welts and/or bruises, is considered to be child abuse. Spanking should not be impulsive, spank only with your hand once or twice, and the child should be forewarned of the spanking and reason for the spanking in order for it to be successful.
The saying, “Spare the rod, spoil the child” comes from a biblical proverb (Proverbs 13:24) “He who withholds the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” What this means is, if you don’t punish a child when they do wrong, you will spoil them. This goes way back. You want to punish your child for their wrong, and make sure it is effective enough to get the point across. If you don’t effectively punish your child, they will think it is okay to keep doing the wrong.
Kosciusko County (Indiana) Department of Child Services sees hundreds of cases per year involving child abuse and/or neglect. Of those cases, there is physical abuse such as punching, hitting, kicking, and biting. Yet there are only a “handful” of cases involving an out of control parent spanking their child. Tiffany Malone, a caseworker for the DCS, has seen many cases of abuse and neglect. She stated, “You can spank your child as long as you do not leave any marks, and you do not spank them with anything except an open hand on the buttocks.” It has also been said you can spank your child’s feet. been charged with Battery on a minor for leaving excessive marks on their child. In the Indiana Supreme Court case Willis vs. State, Sophia Willis is raising an unruly child and spanked him several times with a belt or extension cord, which lead to marks on the child’s arm (from missing the buttocks.) She ended up receiving 365 days in jail, and had to do 357 of those suspended to probation. The judge stated, “This is a tough area of the law. Because you know that a person’s intent was not to do a wrong thing.” It has also been said, “The law is well settled that a parent has a right to administer proper and reasonable chastisement to his child without being guilty of an assault and battery.”
By knowing our boundaries and limitations, we can successfully correct our children in a positive way. By spanking them. The mixed reaction by so many is just misunderstanding. No one has to spank a child. When nothing else works, spanking is a last ditch effort. It may be a controversial form of punishment, but it does work. Older children that look back on their younger years are happy they were spanked. They grew up happier, did well in school, and did well as they grew up. There are different laws in different states. Some condone corporal punishment, some do not. Some countries have banned corporal punishment all together. As long as there is no anger or foreign objects involved in spanking a child, it is not considered child abuse. Some psychologists, DCS workers, parents, and courts condone spanking. There are court cases stating it is a parent’s right to decide whether or not a spanking should be administered. It is also the parent’s responsibility to react, without vengeance, appropriately while administering a spanking to a child. A parent should not be found guilty of punishing their child no matter. Unless there is a sinister demeanor involved, a parent is completely capable of punishing their own child without chastisement from others. Children are our future and we want nothing but the best for them. By spanking our children, we are teaching them right from wrong and making their future that much brighter and worth looking for.

Citations/References http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2010/jan/10010507 http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index. http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/Topical/spanking.htmssf/2010/01/is_spanking_children_ok_calvin.html http://www.tldm.org/News11/AmericanCollegeOfPediatriciansSpanking.htm Tiffany Malone- Kosciusko County Child Protective Services, Warsaw, Indiana http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/08290801mgr.pdf http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/06100801rdr.pdf http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05311101msm.pdf http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar41/ch3.html

Citations: References http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2010/jan/10010507 http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index. http://www.cerm.info/bible_studies/Topical/spanking.htmssf/2010/01/is_spanking_children_ok_calvin.html http://www.tldm.org/News11/AmericanCollegeOfPediatriciansSpanking.htm Tiffany Malone- Kosciusko County Child Protective Services, Warsaw, Indiana http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/08290801mgr.pdf http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/06100801rdr.pdf http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05311101msm.pdf http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar41/ch3.html