Is Smacking A Child Ever Justified?

Is smacking a child ever morally justified?

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Is smacking a child ever morally justified?

Introduction

To attack or slap with strength using the open hand is the definition of smacking which is the issue that is being debated a lot amongst many people. The provocative matter is whether smacking children is morally right or wrong in the 21st Century. Smacking children is an issue which is very complex hence the reason why so many people have opinioned opinions on the same problem, some people are smacking children as they feel hitting children allows chastisement and only teaches ferocity (Moyse, 2009). Therefore in this essay I intend to put across both side of the influences and then conclude

If a child is chastised by smacking in a loving environment where the majority of the time the child is shown that they are valued and loved then the occasional smack will not harm their development. Neither smacking an adult is never acceptable, so nor should hitting a child be. Research has confirmed that smacking children teaches them to use acts of aggression and ferocity to solve their problems. It is wrong to teach children that problems can only be solved using violence, parents should portray their children that dispute can be solved without violence in a positive way as well. As we all know that children are more likely to follow their parent’s actions (Alderson, 2008). Therefore studies shows that it is morally wrong to smack a child, things are beginning to change to protect children. In the UK, parents are allowed to smack their children if it constitutes "reasonable chastisement and does not leave a serious mark," but experts continue to call for the practice to be banned outright. Other problems with smacking children are the fact that children who are smacked have lower self-esteem than those who are not smacked. Therefore these children often develop resentments towards their parents and get angry with them and sometimes seek revenge. Smacked children change their behavior out of fear of pain while non-smacked children learn to change their behavior on the basis of right and wrong and eventually need less parental help. Following are the forms of