No Spanking No Time-Out, No Problem By Khazan Summary

Should parents stop spanking their children?

In the article, “No Spanking, No Time-Out, No Problem”, the author Olga Khazan uses emotions to influence the audience into the controversial of the type of punishment parents should use for misbehaving children. Khazan purpose in her article is to persuade the parents to stop resulting to physical abuse, spanking, their children as a disciplinary method. Khazan explains the consequences physical abuse can cause of used as a disciplinary method. “On the international front, physical discipline is increasingly being viewed as a violation of children’s human rights.” (Smith 5) Olga Khazan not only uses her own thoughts as well as the thoughts of other experts.

Alan Kazdin, PhD, Yale University psychology

professor… “…director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic” Kazdin also explains about there are other alternatives besides spanking and yelling. Physical abuse, such as spanking, should never be the option to deal with misbehaving children. A good way to address the issue of nonphysical abuse methods can be positive reinforcement and rewarding the child for good behavior. Children throw temper tantrums when not given what they want or the attention they crave. Kazdin states that if the parent is to remain calm during these episodes of temper tantrums is the best way to deal with the episodes. There are classes and courses for parents to take and help with dealing positively with misbehaving children. Parents that hear the negative effects of spanking their children can be emotional for them.
She uses the rhetoric element of pathos in her article.

When she explains, “…that parents fall roughly into three categories.” (Khazan 3) Khazan categorizes parents into three groups, the categories follow the type of disciplinary methods the parents use. The three categories described by Khazan are as followed; the first category is the parents who have snacks ready to reward the child who obey the chore chart made by the parents; the second category of parents are the overly abuse parents, who abuse their children tremendously; the third and final category are the parents that aren’t abuse, but are also not the best parents, these parents can be classified as “bi-polar” because they can be tough abuse parents one day and then relaxed lenient parents the next. After reading and realizing the category parents fall in, it hits them in their heart. No parent wants to read and realize they fall in the worse of the three categories. After reading which category they fall in parents will try and fix the mistakes it is they are doing. Spanking causes not only the obvious physical harm but, as well as emotional

harm.
Also, Khazan is just constantly pointing out how parent’s spanking technics they use to discipline the child have negative effects and do not help the child behave any better.

The way children are treat by their parents reflects from themselves and onto their peers. “… parents that are very sarcastic, a child will be very sarcastic with their peers…” Parents don’t realize the affects spanking causes too the children’s mental state. In the article written by Brendan L. Smith, he explains that physical punishment, including spanking, “...can lead to increase aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury, and mental health problem for children.” Although physical punishment, such as spanking, may work momentarily, but it just causes the children to become more aggressive. (Smith 3) Over 30 countries have completely banned physical punishments for children. Elizabeth Gershoff, PhD, at the University of Texas at Austin, another expert on the issue says “Physical punishment doesn’t work to get kids to comply, so parents think they have to keep escalating it. That is why it is so dangerous…” (Smith

7)
Khazan has made a point in her article by using the different types of nonfiction elements. With using the elements, she can persuade parents into stopping spanking as a disciplinary method on their children. If the they personally are not the problem, they can speak up and help other parents that are. No parent wants to be the bad guy.