According to the National Center for Child abuse and Neglect, more than four million children in the United States are abused or mistreated each yearly. Sadly, many of these cases of abuse or mistreatment are a direct result of physical discipline at the hands of their parents. Parents should not use physical force as a form of discipline with their children. Instead of physical force, there are other more effective forms of discipline that do not result in psychological and bodily harm.
The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment for Children defines corporal punishment as “any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light”. Although this definition might seem to lessen the effects of corporal or physical punishment, in the name of correcting undesirable behavior, many parents might take their actions too far and inflict severe physical damage.
In some severe cases, physical mistreatment can even result in the unintentional death of the child. Sadly, “parental punishment kills thousands of children every year, injures many more and is the direct cause of many children’s physical impairment” (Global Initiative). With so many injuries and deaths, the need to identify and implement forms of discipline other than physical is one of the most pressing issues of modern times.
Many parents have used physical discipline because it is a fast and simple way to control a child’s behavior. However, while physical discipline is quick and easy, it can lead to a child behaving aggressively, exhibiting delinquent anti-social behavior, and other emotional disorders. According to Secasa.com, “the effects of physical abuse upon children can be traumatic and long-lasting”.
There are several initial effects that a child may display upon suffering physical abuse such as pain and suffering, anger and fear. As a result of constant fear and stress, many children may suffer from weakened mental development including difficulty concentrating in their studies, and ongoing learning disorders. Yet, there may also be long term behavioral problems such as “truancy, inability to form friendships with peers and poor socials skills” (“Effects of Child Physical Abuse”). With such effects as those that are initially felt, moderately progressive, and long lasting over time, the need to develop more effective methods of discipline are evident.
Another reason some parents turn to the physical discipline of children is the fact that they are not equipped to handle a disobedient child. As noted by Brendan L. Smith, although “physical punishment can work momentarily to stop problematic behavior because children are afraid of being hitit doesn’t work in the long term.” While many parents in modern times rush through their lives and try to find a quick-fix solution to an immediately pressing issue, child discipline should not be one of those scenarios. The greatest problem with parents who resort to physical discipline instead of more effective forms of discipline is the long term damage that may be inflicted on the parent-child relationship.
As reported by Straus and Stewart, there are alarmingly high rates of physical discipline by parents of children in all age groups, with “a 95 percent rate for toddlers”. In fact, the same study showed that in a sample of students at a community college, 95 percent of them had suffered corporal punishment (Straus et al.). Yet, even more astounding was Straus et al. discovering that “this pervasive aspect of the socialization of American children is either not perceived or ignored”. With such a pervasive rate of socialized corporal punishment, the need to develop alternative methods of discipline is long overdue.
In defense of corporal punishment, many mothers and fathers have created the argument of ‘parental freedom’, claiming that – short of criminal child abuse cases – it should primarily be a parent’s prerogative to decide when and how to discipline their children. In some aspects, these parents are correct, because a parent’s choice in raising their children is actually protected by the U.S. Constitution. As noted by Robert E. Larzelere, PhD., the choices parents face are nothing new because, “Childrearing advice to American parents has always been amazingly diverse, with major changes between generations and contradictory advice at any one time”.
According to the old saying, spanking is necessary because if you “spare the rod, spoil the child”. Usually, parents who were spanked as children are likely to spank their own children. Unfortunately, these mostly outdated modes of thinking conflict directly with recent studies and scientific evidence showing that spanking does not work, either in the short or long term. As discovered by Rodriguez, “Children’s anxiety symptoms were higher in those children whose parents obtained higher abuse potential scores and had harsher discipline practices”. The evidence shows that these long-held beliefs and practices affect children in negative ways, even when abuse is merely a potential.
According to Giles-Sims, Straus, & Sugarman, there are certain family characteristics that might lend to more or less frequent abuse, such as socioeconomic status: “Research on the physical abuse of children finds higher rates among lower income parents”. Yet, when it comes to permissible violence – also known as ‘spanking’ – the truth is that “most studieshave found few or no income related differences” (Giles-Sims, et al. 169). This seemingly contradictory information provides a much closer look at societal beliefs with respect to physical discipline of children, because it proves that in some instances there may be no differences between parents at all. Community types are also examined to determine whether there might be differences between urban and suburban or rural communities, with respect to physical discipline of children. However, although “press coveragelead[s] people to link urban and violence almost automatically,rural areas also have characteristics of family isolation and lower access to parental education” (Giles-Sims, et al. 171)
Religion is another dividing factor that may seem to widen the gap between parents who believe in corporal punishment and those who don’t. Giles-Sims, et al. found that “Fundamentalist Protestants strongly believe in spanking their children” yet the overall results were that “they did not differentiate between other religious groupsand those with no religious preference” (171). This information leads to the assumption that although religion may be offered as a justification or excuse for corporal punishment, the overall rates of physical discipline in relation to chosen religious beliefs may not reflect that same information.
There are many reasons for parents to stop using physical force against their children. The physical and psychological damages that it can cause are potentially long-lasting and many times irreparable, following children into adolescence and even adulthood. While parents might try to justify their behavior, citing religious or cultural beliefs, the more prudent choice would be for parents to carefully consider the possible negative outcomes of their physical behavior. With the right information and enforcement of standards, it is conceivable that parents have a very good chance to avoid the need for – and use of – physical force as a form of punishment, which may thankfully lead to much less traumatized future generations of parents and children.
Works Cited
“Effects of Child Physical Abuse.” Secasa.com.au. (Sept.-Oct. 2012.) Web.
Giles-Sims, J., Straus, M. A., & Sugarman, D. B. (1995). “Child, Maternal, and Family Characteristics Associated with Spanking.” Family Relations, 44(2), 170 - 176.
Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children. Review of Research on the Effects of Corporal Punishment: Working Paper (2013). Web.
Larzelere, Robert E., PhD. “Combining Love and Limits in Authoritative Parenting: A Conditional Sequence Model of Disciplinary Responses.” (15 Oct. 1998). Web.
Rodriguez, C. (2003). “Parental Discipline and Abuse Potential Effects on Child Depression, Anxiety, and Attributions.” Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(4), 809-817.
Smith, Brendan L. “The Case against Spanking.” APA.org. (Apr. 2012.) Web.
Strauss, Murray A., and Julie H. Stewart. “Corporal Punishment by American Parents: National Data on Prevalence.” Chronicity, Severity, and Duration, in Relation to Child and Family Characteristics. 01 June 1999. Web.
