Corporal Punishment

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Over the years, the use of corporal punishment or physical punishment, which is also known as spanking, has been argued and debated upon. Children need to be disciplined and though there are different forms of discipline, sometimes all a child needs is a little spanking to set them straight. Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offense, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behavior deemed unacceptable.

The argument over whether to spank or not to spank usually devolves into two points of view. The “No Spankers” contend that spanking is child abuse, and that it is associated with various adult pathologies. They have consistently argued that there is "always an alternative" to spanking, and that spanking teaches children that ‘might’ is right. They believe that spanking teaches children that violence is an acceptable way of getting one's way, and that since most of the same adults who spank also teach that violence is not generally acceptable, spanking "confuses" children.

Many experts have argued that children who are spanked are likely to be more aggressive and may have sexual problems later in life (Web). A study conducted by Murray Straus shows that spanking hinders the development of empathy, remorse or compassion in toddlers. The study also shows that toddlers who are spanked do not develop a conscience of what is right or wrong, but rather will stop the negative behavior for a short time to prevent getting spanked. The study argues that spanking chips away at the bond between parent and child. She also believes that children who are spanked will develop trust issues, will be more likely to become anxious or depressed, more likely t...

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... my brother did not respect the form of training my mother used, he could have used this opportunity to his advantage.

As a final point, everyone is entitled to use whatever form of punishment they deem fit on their children, but if the child knew that spanking was in the package, they would take their parents more seriously. They would be more cautious of the decisions they made. People might call this fear, but fear sometimes makes people stronger. Each time we face our fear, we gain courage, confidence and strength. It is fear of going to jail that make us obey the laws of our country and hence make us better citizens. This same analogy can be applied in terms of “the spanking of a child”. The fear of being spanked makes us respect and obey our parents, therefore actually creating a good parent and child relationship contrary to what the “other side” may think.

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