Corporal Punishment of Children Should be Banned

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Recommended: Impact of corporal punishment on children

The term corporal punishment is defined as the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, "for the purpose of correction or control of the child’s behavior" ("A Report" 18). In America, parents' use of corporal punishment in homes have been defined legally by the states as “encompassing ‘reasonable’ force with some states adding qualifiers that it must also be ‘appropriate’ (AL, AK, AZ, CA, CC), ‘moderate’ (AR, DE, SC, SD), or ‘necessary’ (MT, NH, NY, OR, TX, WI). Three states see the need to clarify that corporal punishment is limited to ‘nondeadly force’ (AK, NY, TX)” (Gershoff, "Corporal" 540). Currently, over 90% of US families report having used corporal punishment as a means of discipline at some time ("Physical"). Parental corporal punishment is usually restricted to physical contact "with an open hand, and to contact on extremities or buttocks", as in spanking, strapping, smacking, beating, or whipping (Remus 22). Behaviors that do cause risk injury (e.g., punching, kicking, burning) are considered physical abuse (Gershoff, "Corporal" 540). Parents punish their children physically for discipline. However, parents' corporal punishment may inadvertently result in child physical abuse administered by their anger. Sometimes they even intended to harm a child. In my opinion, physical abuse can be a potential outcome of corporal punishment. Parents' use of corporal punishment in homes are likely to have few intended positive effects and many unintended negative effects. Besides, hitting children frequently may worsen parent-child relationship as well as children's future character flaw. In this case, corporal punishment of children in homes needs to be outlawed in America.

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