According to this article, the findings suggest that eliminating all physical punishment of children would reduce the prevalence of mental disorders, the researchers said.
It is interesting to note that those opposed to spanking usually change the word to hitting. Hitting is a means to harm a child, whereas spanking is used to train and discipline a child. They have changed the word to make spanking seem like something evil.
How they come to the conclusions in this article are beyond me. I guess you can find statistics to support anything you believe and just because you read something doesn't mean it is true. Almost all of my generation was spanked and there were very few discipline problems. Even the principal in my elementary school spanked children who were naughty. I can hardly remember any badly behaved children when I was young.
Today most children aren't spanked and they are out of control. Yes, I know many children who have not been spanked grow up to be good, self-controlled adults. However, if you ask teachers today, children are out of control. I know. I taught for four years and it wasn't easy. The lack of discipline is evident.
Participants were asked, "As a child how often were you ever pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped or hit by your parents or any adult living in your house?"
Pushing, grabbing, shoving, and slapping are not considered spanking. Spanking should be used only as a tool to train a child who is in open disobedience. We didn't push, grab, shove, or slap our children. We used a small strap on their bottom or top of their leg in an intentional and controlled manner.
To say that there is so much mental disorders today because of spankings is a stretch. There seems to be more mental illnesses today in an age where spanking is frowned upon than ever before.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24
Logging you in...
Cynthia Swenson · 653 weeks ago
Fran · 653 weeks ago
I know many Christian families (including my own when I was growing up) where spanking was not done in rage and anger, but in a restained and appropriate matter. My concern is that spanking is done in many households (Christian and non-Christian alike) as an angry, agressive reaction to a disobedient child. To deny that this happens (and often, even with Believers) would not be approaching this issue truthfully.
So then I am left with this question: Which is better: a child being spanked agressively out of a parent's immediate rage (and not for his own good) or a child never being spanked at all?
Piper · 653 weeks ago
Liz · 653 weeks ago
Until we can all agree on a definite boundary for when discipline turns into abuse this study just fuels the fire of people who believe that spanking is wrong.
OK, I'm off my soapbox now :-)