Spare the Child's Bottom

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Recommended: emotional effects of spanking on children

How many times have you witnessed children spanked by their parents for misbehaving or for throwing a tantrum at the store? It is a very common act of physical punishment used by many parents. The painful act of discipline towards children goes back from generations and seen as an effective way of correcting bad behavior. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, spanking is, “The action of beating or slapping with the open hand by way of punishment” (“Spanking n.”). Although it can seem very practical the moment it is given, it does not improve the child’s behavior and can bring serious effects on the long run. Parents ought to prevent themselves from spanking their children for it can lead to long-term effects to the child such as anti-social behavior and cognitive development.
To begin, spanking is seen as an innocent form of physical discipline. However, parents are not aware that spanking contributes to anti-social behavior such as aggressive and violent behavior of children. Children spanked repeatedly become accustomed and learn to believe it is an acceptable behavior, “…spanking sets a bad example, teaching children that aggressive behavior is a solution to their parents' problems” (Park1). As a result, when they become adults they exhibit aggressive and violent behaviors towards others. An example as adults they are more likely beat their significant other or their children continuing the cycle. Spanking also induces pain and fear and does not get the message across to the child of what he did wrong. Children tend to get worse when spanked ,”… the children who have been spanked were more likely than the non-spanked to be defiant, demand immediate satisfaction of their wants and needs, become frustrated easily, have tempe...

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... that children who are spanked are likely to have lower vocabulary compared to a child that has never been spanked. Another bad side of spanking is that over time it can easily escalate to full-blown abuse over time. What is important is communication between the parent and the child and finding other punishments that are more effective.

Works Cited

Haeuser, Adrienne Ahlgren. "Can We STOP Physical Punishment Of Children?." Education Digest 56.1 (1990): 67-69. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Netburn, Deborah. "Spanking Your Kids Could Affect Their Vocabulary down the Road." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
Park, Alice. "The Long-Term Effects Of Spanking." Time 175.17 (2010): 51. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
"spanking, n.". OED Online. September 2013. Oxford University Press. 6 November 2013

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