Disciplining our children:

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Corporal Punishment

Corporal punishment of children , while acceptable in other countries has been banned in some others . Some countries where spanking is illegal include Austria , Norway , Uruguay , and New Zealand . In the United States , parental spanking of children remains legal . In schools corporal punishment is allowed in 23 states . In some cultures , a minimal amount of corporal punishment is deemed necessary to instill the right values in a growing child

Using corporal punishment with children has its benefits and drawbacks On the positive side , the punishment would teach the

child that what he did was wrong . The pain incurred as a result of the punishment is hoped to discourage further bad behavior . On the negative side , corporal punishment may cause psychological scarring and deep resentment toward the parents . In a report from the American Psychological Association (2002 , the group cited a study by Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff , Ph .D of the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University Gershoff found a strong relation between corporal punishment and antisocial and aggressive behavior in children . The study did not conclude that all children who received corporal punishment became delinquent

Personally , I believe that the way the corporal punishment is meted out will have a directly proportional effect on the child 's emotional neurological and physiological development . If the child will receive too much beating for committing a slight offence , that will definitely hurt his emotional state , possibly causing trauma . Punishment should be slight if the misdemeanor is light . Sterner measures are only necessary when the misbehavior is being repeatedly and deliberately done

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If I were a parent , I 'd use corporal punishment sparingly . That is , it will only be used as a last resort after talks and other means won 't be effective . When a child commits mistake , it is important to explain to him why the deed was wrong . If the child does it again , then remind him why it was wrong , but in a firmer manner . When the child deliberately does something wrong , even if he was told already why doing it is wrong then , that 's the time that a spanking would be necessary . The spanking would help the child internalize the gravity of the misdemeanor . The spanking should only be done at the butt using the hand , and should not be too harsh to avoid trauma . The International Save the Children Alliance conducted a research in different

countries to ascertain the harm inflicted to children because of corporal punishment . In some cases , children had to rush to the hospital due to the severity of the punishment . This study supports my view that corporal punishment should never be too harsh

While I was growing up , I had my share of spanking . But as those happened only when I kept misbehaving despite being warned against it Looking back , I could not fault the way my parents disciplined me as I was growing up . The way they disciplined has greatly influenced my view on corporal punishment . My parents were careful to explain why I was punished and why on occasion do I get a spanking

To ban corporal punishment would be detrimental to the society as a whole . Spanking is a tool in molding the child while growing up to become a person who could positively affect the community . If the child won 't be punished for doing a wrong deed over and over again , that sort of behavior could get carried into adulthood , resulting to bigger problems for the family and many other people

References

American Psychological Association (2002 , June 26 . Is Corporal Punishment an Effective

Means of Discipline ? Retrieved December 12 , 2007 , from HYPERLINK "http /www .apa .org /releases /spanking .html http /www .apa .org /releases /spanking .html

International Save the Children Alliance (2003 . What is corporal punishment ? Retrieved

December 12 , 2007 , from

HYPERLINK "http /www .savethechildren .net /alliance /resources /corporal_punish .pdf http /www .savethechildren .net /alliance /resources /corporal_punish .pdf ...