Child spanking

In todays society, spanking is a major controversial topic. Spanking is the act of striking a child’s buttocks with an open hand (Moninger). Only a short 38 years ago in 1974 the United States passed the Child Abuse and Treatment Act prior to this act spanking children was considered a “family matter” and was not something others questioned (CAPTA). A poll of 1,000 readers on parents.com eighty-one percent said they had spanked their child at least once and twenty-two percent do so once a week or more (Moninger). This figure is consistent with the 2007 study that was published in the “Psychology, Public Policy, and Law” Journal which stated that nearly eighty percent of kids are spanked at least once by fifth grade (Moninger). Many people today still believe that it is still family business while others believe spanking is a form of child abuse which is a non-productive way to handle things and scares children for the rest of their lives (Squidoo). Though there are some Pros to spanking, do we know what the long term effects of spanking are on children under the age of 13? Some of the Pros of spanking are that it can be effective on a short term basis by getting the child to change the negative behavior that caused the spanking in the first place (Dr.Phil). When spanking is used in conjunction with more of a humane disciplinary method, such as time outs, it seems to have a greater affect on children from ages two to six (Dr.Phil). Also it seems that parents who use time outs along with

negative consequences, like spanking, have the most success in changing negative behaviors (Dr.Phil). The founder of Focus on The Family, Dr. James Dobson, discusses in his book “Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide” why he thinks that spanking is all right under some circumstances. In the book it say’s, “Is there an age when you begin to spank?” in return Dobson answered “There is no excuse for spanking children younger then 15 to 18 months. Midway