Spanking: Is It Good Or Bad?

Spanking, according to Wikipedia, is a form of corporal punishment commonly used to discipline a toddler, child, or teenager. It generally involves an adult – typically a parent, guardian, or teacher — striking the offender’s buttocks as a response to poor behavior, with either an open hand or an implement, to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury.

Spanking is something that can be good and bad as discipline. There are several reasons for this. Every person responds differently to a spanking. Some kids like to be spanked so they will continue to do the same thing no matter how many times they are spanked. Other kids hate being spanked. These are the kids that will benefit the most from getting a spanking. The reason for this is simple. Since they hate being spanked once they know what will cause them to get a spanking they will never do that again.

Well, spanking is not the only way to discipline a child. There are also some alternative methods of discipline. Parents may resort to spanking children because they were disciplined in that manner, they don’t know any other method, or out of frustration or anger. There are, however, many ways to effectively discipline without physical punishment. Alternatives to spanking include:

• Time out or temporary isolation
• Ignoring the behavior when appropriate (i.e. whining)
• Loss of privileges
• Doing extra chores
• Facing natural consequences or making retribution for actions
• Verbal reprimand
• Behavior Checklists

Although it’s important to discipline children for doing wrong, it’s also extremely important to use positive reinforcement. When you catch your children making the right choices, praise and encourage them. Make a habit to spend quality time with your child and encourage him or her in the things s/he is doing well. Enforcing the positive behaviors a child exhibits is often the best way to reduce negative behaviors before they occur.

Non-Abusive Spanking. Spanking children excessively when a parent is angry over minor and many other scenarios can be considered abusive. If a parent chooses to spank as a form of discipline, he or she may want to consider the following tips to avoid disciplining in an abusive manner.

• Never spank a child in anger.
• Never spank a child in front of others or with the intention of humiliating or embarrassing that child.
• Avoid multiple spankings.
• Reserve the punishment for serious offenses.
• Spanking is typically considered inappropriate for infants and children older than age 5 – babies cannot understand and older than five the child typically experiences humiliation.
• Make sure the child understands exactly what wrong behavior s/he is receiving the spanking for. Discuss the issue calmly and discuss ways the behavior can be corrected in the future.