Spanking: A Controversial Method of Child Discipline

Pope Francis said “A good father knows how to wait and knows how to forgive from the bottom of his heart. Of course he can also discipline with a firm hand, he’s not weak, submissive, sentimental.” For many years now, spanking children has been a hot and controversial topic. To avoid a misunderstanding. Let’s first define the word “spank.” According to the Webster dictionary “spanking” means “to strike on the buttocks with an open hand.” Not to be confused with the word “abuse” which means “treat (a person or animal) with cruelty or violence, specially regularly and repeatedly. Most people critize spanking as an abusive method of child discipline, or at least that is what they claim in public. There are many methods to discipline a child, including

Moreover they claim that spanking teaches children to be hitters themselves (Ogilvie). But doesn’t society give death row to those who kill. So children must learn that there are consequences. Of course there should be rules. For example the face is off limits, and only and open hand should be used. They also think that spanking increase antisocial behavior. But I have found out in my research that those same consequences can be associated nearly every other kind of nonphysical punishment (Preston). Just like any disciplinary tactic, the outcome depends on how and how often it is used (Ogilvie). Furthermore as long as there is a balance, spanking shouldn’t be seeing as an abusive method. Murray Starus a professor of sociology and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire in Durham said that spanking undermines the relationship between parent and child and that it is a traumatic experience. Well it depends, if a child understands that he is loved and that he was spanked out of love and for his own good. It shouldn’t be a traumatic experience, if not a good