The End of Spanking?
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Sometimes IT happened when we were younger. You did something really bad, and dad was there to give you a slap on the tush. I even remember getting paddled HARD by my elementary school principal. If that happened today, I imagine there would be a lawsuit in the works!
While it might have been more common when we were younger, we still had to decide whether or not we would go down that road as a parent. Some of us decided to go the route our parents chose, some of us decided to go with more constructive forms of punishment.
A new study might confirm what many of us have believed all along: Spanking just isn’t good for you.
According to the study, which will be published in the September/October issue of Child Development, children who were spanked as 1-year-olds are more likely to behave aggressively when they are older, and also do worse on cognitive tests compared to their peers who were not spanked.
The study looked at data from 2,500 white, Mexican American, and black children from low-income families. 1/3 of the mothers reported that they or someone in their family had spanked their 1-year-old, while hald of the mothers of 2 to 3-years-olds had reported their children had been spanked.
“Age 1 is a key time for establishing the quality of the parenting and the relationship between parent and the child,” said study author Lisa J. Berlin, a research scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. “Spanking at age 1 reflects a negative dynamic, and increases children’s aggression at age 2.”
According to US News and World Report:
The study found that children who were spanked at age 1 had more aggressive behaviors at age 2 and performed worse on measures of thinking abilities at age 3.
Being spanked at age 2, however, did not predict more aggressive behaviors at age 3, possibly because the spanking had begun at age 1 and by age 2 the kids were already more aggressive, Berlin said.
Researchers also looked at the effects of verbal punishment, defined as yelling, scolding or making derogatory comments. Verbal punishment was not associated with negative effects if the mother was otherwise attentive, loving and supportive.
Researchers controlled for family characteristics such as race, ethnicity, mother’s age, education, family income and the child’s gender.
Previous research has shown spanking is more common among low-income households than high-income households.
Researchers chose a sample of low-income families because some child behavior experts have argued that when spanking is “cultural normative” — that is, it’s expected for parents to use physical discipline — the detrimental effects of spanking may be lessened.
“We did not find that,” Berlin said. “Even in a sample of low-income people where presumably it’s more normative to spank your kids, we found negative effects.”
The study also found that mothers who said their children were “fussy” babies
were more likely to spank them at ages 1, 2 and 3. But children who were more aggressive at 2 were not more likely to get spanked.“The implication or the suggestion in past arguments is that some kids who are more aggressive or difficult to control might illicit more spanking, but that’s not what we found,” Berlin said.
Researchers found that black children were spanked and verbally punished the most, possibly because of cultural beliefs about the importance of respecting elders and in the value of physical discipline, or because parents feel they have to prepare their children for a racist and potentially dangerous world.
What are your viewpoints on spanking? Would you consider your use of spanking to be never, sometimes, or regularly? Leave your comments below!
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Comment by Paul on Sep 16 2009 03:08:19:
How, exactly, is “spanking” defined. Is a “swat” a “spank”? Is one “spank” a spanking or does it take multiple “spanks” to qualify for a spanking? Does it count as a spanking if no one cries?
Comment by Janey on Sep 16 2009 04:57:37:
I think spanking is any hard smack. And yes it counts if nobody cries!
Comment by Liz on Sep 16 2009 12:25:54:
Why didn’t they consider upper income families in the study as well? I’m no science wiz, but I know enough that you are supposed to have a “placebo group”…right? Also, I am a problem with this statement form the article:
” or because parents feel they have to prepare their children for a racist and potentially dangerous world.”
Seriously? Who conducted this study???
I also would like to see the results from lower income familes who clearly DID NOT spank their children. I notice no mention on those familes here.
On the record…I was spanked as a child. I come from an upper middle class family. I passed high school and college with flying colors and I am now going back to pursue a Master’s degree. And to date, I have never spanked my 2 1/2 year old.
This study is completely inconclusive.
Comment by Alyssa on Sep 16 2009 07:48:32:
First of all I dont believe evwerything I read, people like to stretch the truth, especially when money is invovled. I dont think spanking is bad but not good either, I dont think you should hit your kid all the time especailly for the same mistakes your child makes but you need to use some kind of disipline. My son is only 4 months old so of course Ive never spanked him, and will I in the future?? Im not sure yet,it is a possibility when scolding doesnt work, just depends on the situation and his attitude. I really dont believe this article to much… My sister And I were spanked when we were kids but not all the time, and we are very loving, smart women, finished school and such. Spanking is okay in my book but a parent who does that all the time or even yelling at their kids constantly i think that is not good for the child.
Comment by Jennifer on Sep 17 2009 02:09:06:
I do not agree with spanking at all. My sister and I were both spanked as children and we have both dealt with self-esteem issues, which is one of the effects of spanking. I am currently in graduate school for my Masters in Counseling and Human Development and all the classes I have had and books I have read show that spanking is not the answer. I have a 2 yr old and a 1 yr old and while yes, my 2 yr old can drive me crazy…that does not mean I should result to spanking. Most of the time, I think parents need a timeout to calm down instead of hitting their child out of frustration or anger. There are other forms of discipline rather than hitting a child. What does spanking a child teach them? It teaches them that you can hit someone when you are mad at them…it is okay to hit in some instances…these are not the kind of values that I want to teach my children. I want to teach my children that they have choices and if they make a bad choice, there will be a consequence. However, that consequence will be timeout or something taken away. Hopefully by giving my children choices, they will learn to make decisions on their own in the long run.
Comment by MrsM on Sep 17 2009 06:35:21:
Spanking is just like any other form of discipline-if not used appropriately it can be damaging to your children. They say in this study that spanking leads to physical abuse-but raising your voice can just as easily turn into verbal abuse. Time outs can just as easily turn into child neglect and isolation. However, if used moderately and appropriately all of these can be effective.
Discipline is all about balance, moderation, and consistency. Everyone believes in different forms of discipline or thinks that certain forms of discipline are wrong-I, for instance, don’t yell at my children because I believe that is not a constructive form of discipline-but as long as a parent disciplines with love and forethought out of concern for their child I don’t really think that there is anything wrong with any normal form of discipline.
Comment by a on Sep 17 2009 07:44:33:
I believe spanking as a disciplinary tool is a last resort (just before boot camp). However, in response to Jennifer, I have to say that if anyone is spanking your child in anger, they are doing it completely wrong. Spankings of any sort should be free from emotion (except maybe disappointment). My dad was always the spanker in our family, and the spankings occurred some time after the infraction. Everyone got a time out in the interim.
I agree with MrsM. Balance, moderation, and consistency. Sometimes you may have to catch a child’s attention in a different way, and every child learns differently.
Comment by Sandra on Sep 18 2009 09:27:31:
Hitting another human being should be illegal and punishable by jail. My husband cannot hit me, what makes my children lesser beings that deserve being hit? Do they not deserve the same respect? There is no behavior, no type of child, no excuse for ever hitting a child. And I have four, as old as 16, and none have “behavioral issues”, as pro-beating advocates like to think. “Swat”, “spank”, “tap” – whatever you call it, it’s not right. I’m glad I was never hit as a child and glad I’m perpetuating gentle discipline and loving parenting with my clan as well.
Comment by Rebekah on Sep 21 2009 10:10:06:
I agree with the mom that stated that spanking just like any other form of punishment can become abuse when used incorrectly. I have a two and a half year old girl. I have spanked her but only after other forms of discipline have failed already. I do not believe that every “misbehavior” merits a spanking. I also don’t believe that it is best for every child. Most of all like anything else I believe you have to know your children and make a decision based on what is best for them. There is no method of parenting or disciple that works for every child. I think the biggest thing is to keep yourself in check and be sure that you are never spanking your child just because YOU are angry and frustrated.
Comment by Mel on Oct 07 2009 11:25:53:
Sandra gets the dumbest comment ever award today for her first sentence (are the jails not full enough, heck the US cant build them quick enough as is). Not sure what planet you live on where children, even at 2 years old, completely understand and comply with everything you say. Also not sure exactly where you live that every human being around you is perfect and polite. The world is a fairly rough place and people are not predestined to be good. People are proven to be basically heathens from the womb. Ever notice that we had to be taught to share, not hit, work hard, don’t lie, don’t cheat, etc. We were taught because those are not our natural ways of being. For the record, I do not totally agree with spanking but the truth falls in the middle like all big debates and if you are on one side of the issue or the other you are completely wrong. As several people stated, the article (or research) is not conclusive and flawed. All psychological research is bcause you can’t account for EVERY persons life. If I was raised precisely the same way except not spanked as a child there is a 99% chance I would have turned out the exact same. It takes a pretty big single aspect to change who we are or are becoming. Spanking just isn’t that big of an aspect. The only reason it really has or deserves a bad rap is because so many people take it too far (i.e. using paddles, cords, rubber hoses to beat their kids until welts/bruises/cuts form). Spanking will never go away but it can and should at least be standardized to a specific form.
Comment by PDeverit on Oct 10 2009 04:49:23:
Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child buttock-battering for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like “Supernanny” and “Dr. Phil” are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit http://www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Center For Effective Discipline,
PsycHealth Ltd Behavioral Health Professionals,
Churches’ Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus’ Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Comment by Valerie on Oct 26 2009 07:36:07:
My daughters could care less about a time out , she talks to her imaginey friend” taking away a toy doesnt do anything but get her to move on to something new or talk to her imaginay friend, but when she sneaks into kitchen and makes a mess, 1 spank on the bottom, gets her to say sorry mommy, how can i help you make this better. My 2 year old however has meltdowns and cries sorry if you put her on a timeout.
Each child needs to be disciplined according to what they did wrong and what works for them.
Comment by Mrs. Bastin on Dec 08 2009 08:44:44:
My husband and I were both spanked by our parents and decided not to spank our daughter. We feel getting spanked did not help us in any way, shape or form. It only made us keep things from our parents in fear of the spanking. We feel using other methods of punishment, such as time-out is best. We want our daughter to not fear us and be able to come to us with a problem or a bad situation for help not punishment.
Comment by Hannah, Resident Mom on Aug 27 2010 08:52:51:
I was a very strong willed child -and I got plenty of spankings- but it honestly made no difference in my behavior, I would refuse to cry or let my parents see if it hurt me or not. I drove my father nuts, but what made the most difference was when my parents were disappointed in me, other than that I was just afraid of getting my butt torn up when I screwed up and I kept more things from my parents than I would’ve if I had felt that it was okay for me to ask them for permission.