Spanking

I found these articles interesting, the yes (Gershoff) side more so than the no (Baumrind, et al.). Personally, I am supportive of spanking children and even some cases of corporal punishment. I wish that the no side would have presented more arguments actually supporting spanking; Baumrind, et al. merely disqualified Gershoff. Several of the comments were legitimate and were helpful in clarifying Gershoff’s meta-analysis, but honestly I found the article pretty dull.

One thing that neither of the articles really mentioned that I believe to be the key factor in whether or not spanking/CP is successful is the issue of emotion. In my opinion, a parent should not physically punish their child if their emotions are too strong at the time. For instance, if a child does something that really infuriates the parent—whether it’s breaking something important, deliberately disobeying, fighting with a sibling, etc.—then the parent must wait until their emotions die down before administering punishment. If not, the act of punishment is not objective and there is too much potential for a parent to get carried away. This objectivity is imperative in administering a successful, appropriate spanking, etc.

Another issue that I feel is important was brought up by Baumrind, et al: the use of CP as a supplement to another punishment. It’s not so much this exact issue that I think is noteworthy, but rather the inclusion of conversation in CP. If the child is not fully aware of why their being punished, then it is completely pointless, and obviously detrimental. However, I believe that both before and after a spanking the parent should discuss what happened with the child, making sure to ask them if they understand what they did wrong. Afterwards, the parent should emphasize the fact that they don’t WANT to spank the child, and that the child can prevent this from happening by simply following the rules. I would even say hugging the child afterward and telling them you love them is good. The purpose of CP is the short-lived pain that it incurs. Once that is done, there is no need to add any kind of emotional of verbal pain to that.

A few other topics that weren’t discussed were the differences between different children. Personally, I was a bit of an angel-child. I’ve been told that I was spanked once, and then never needed it again. Apparently my parents would threaten from time to time and that’s all it took. My cousin, on the other hand, was a year older than me, raised in almost exact similar conditions, and was the biggest hell-raising little boy ever. He was spanked routinely, though it was always paired with the type of conversation I mentioned earlier. Despite this, spanking didn’t phase him; he couldn’t have cared less. It’s instances like these two that illustrate the different effects that spanking can have on different children. Also, I didn’t agree with the statement by Gershoff that CP shouldn’t be utilized because it can ruin a good parent-child relationship and can make the child angry at the parent. Last time I checked, the majority of punishment techniques will make a child angry at their parent. Whether it’s spanking of time out of taking away a toy, children aren’t supposed to enjoy punishment….that’s the point.

No one would contest the fact that a truly loving parent will discipline their child; no good parent wants their kid to end up a little hellion. In accordance with this, I think that spanking can be an act of love. It shouldn’t be easy for a parent to spank their child, but it should be done with the goal of teaching the child and helping them to become a well-behaved person.