Spanking is Detrimental to Children

Thesis Statement: Spanking is wrong because it causes long-term psychological damage to the punished child. An overall evaluation of this subject, the evaluation should be balanced, providing observations indicating both positive and negative aspects.

Spanking has frequently been applied as a way of disciplining children throughout history by both parents and teachers. Spanking is the striking of someone or something normally with the palm as a form of punishment. The act of spanking children as a form of instilling discipline into them is an issue of great concern in the modern society. This is because it violates the rights of children by enhancing the violence towards them by parents and teachers. Spanking as a form of instilling discipline to children is detrimental and it should be abolished.

Children are helpless and susceptible and spanking them is relatively inappropriate in the 21st century society. Parents who are caring will hardly ever cause injury to their children. Nevertheless, spanking put children at a high risk of severe injury. Spanking of children, in its serious forms, is the same as criminal assault. It is rather retro for an adult to spank his or her children given that there are many other different approaches that he can make use of such as motivation and reward. According to Ambikapathy (2002), this is because smacking  upsets children as well as hurts them which ends up with their relationships with parents or guardians being destroyed, harboring them from growing into their best potential. This affects a child psychologically by creating a negative child-to-parent relationship. Spanking is wrong since it results in long-term psychological harm to the children.

Spanking is negative as it teaches children that violence is the only resolution to problems. Many children do not need to be spanked as spanking makes them to be more defiant to an extent that no matter how regularly they are spanked, they will become even increasingly defiant. According to Narvaez (2013), “In terms of whether parental aggression (spanking) decreases aggression in the child, the answer is no. In fact, spanking tends to increase child aggression.” These children should be taken for counseling, which might prove more useful to them. There are other alternative forms of putting children in check that are more effective than smacking, which may help them in realizing what is good as well as that which is bad. The society should Parents adhere to the policy of no-spanking their children.

Spanking is mentally harmful to children. According to Rosenberg (2015), “The only positive outcome that's ever been shown from spanking is immediate compliance; however, corporal punishment is associated with less long-term compliance.” Children seem to be the only individuals who are exposed to violence, which is tolerable in the form of physical punishment.” The brutal and harmful assault on children by their parents or guardians has been justified as suitable disciplinary measures. Adults have in the past used weapons like sticks to cause physical pain in children, without because their body parts such as the head and face are vulnerable. The injustice that children are exposed to as a result of the lack of consensus regarding the acceptable punishment towards ought to be addressed.

Adults who support the spanking of children ought to be reminded that children are beings with rights and not merely objects. They are small as well as young people whose bodies prospers with respect to care, and whose minds are positively motivated by high regard along with sensitive attention. Typically reliant and susceptible, their small bodies as well as young minds are highly vulnerable to abuse by their elders. The society places the responsibility of taking care and protecting of children on their parents and guardians, and not to cause physical harm to them.

In conclusion, spanking children as a way of instilling discipline in them is detrimental to them. The fact remains that spanking of children is wrong because it results into long-term psychological harm to the children. Therefore, American parents ought to embrace the societal tendencies to disprove of spanking. Spanking should be banned, and both parents and teachers trained on better and effective forms of instilling discipline into children. This is because it is an out-of-date form of punishing children and, therefore, the society should embrace the protection of children and report any instance of spanking of children to the authorities.

References

Ambikapathy, P. (2002). CRIME PREVENTION: FAMILY VIOLENCE IN THE PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN. Retrieved from http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/conferences/crimpre/ambikapathy.pdf

Narvaez, D. (2013). Research on Spanking: It’s Bad For ALL Kids. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201309/research-spanking-it-s-bad-all-kids

Rosenburg, M. (2015). Should You Spank Your Child? Retrieved from http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/positive-discipline/should-I-spank-my-child