To spank or not to spank

What a controversial subject this is. Some feel that it is the parents right to discipline their children in any way they see fit. They feel that the city or state government has no right to step in and tell them what to do with their children. That may be, however…

While I agree that no has the right to tell you what to do with your kids, I do not believe in spanking children. I don’t think there is any point to it. What exactly does it accomplish? Nothing. In fact, many studies have indicated that spanking a child teaches them that violence is ok. What is the difference between spanking your child and beating them? There is a very fine line.

There are many different forms of discipline. If you are angry and spank your child, chances are that you are going to hit them harder then you intend to. In some states, it is illegal to spank your child and in other states, it is legal to spank your child (and the law actually reads like this) as long as it is open handed and does not leave a mark.

First of all, if you spank your child that lightly, then the child just laughs at you. It is not going to do any good. It is not teaching them what they did to get the spanking was wrong; it only teaches them that you condone violence. When you try to explain the difference, they will not see it. It has been proven that children of abuse grow up to abuse. It just continues the cycle.

When a child is spanked, it is usually done when the parent is angry. What could this possibly teach the child? They see the anger in their parents face and they think it is ok to hit someone when you’re angry. When you stop and think about it, having your child see you out of control will only prove that he or she can push your buttons.

When you take a breath and walk away for a moment, the urge to spank has passed and another method of discipline can be determined. Time outs, taking away video game or computer time, taking away their favorite toy and even standing in the corner are all effective methods of discipline and it you are not laying a hand on them.

People don’t understand how much bigger then children they are. They don’t understand what harm they can do until it is done. Why take the chance? Before disciplining a child, walk away and give yourself a time out. The angrier you are, the better the reason for walking away.