Corporal Punishment in Children; Right or Wrong

{text:bookmark-start} Corporal Punishment with Children: Right or Wrong {text:bookmark-end} ?   How properly to discipline a child is an age old question. Countless numbers of parents have had to make this decision. Many of these parents were raised in homes that used spanking as the main form of discipline. Most people can readily recount each time he, or she received a spanking for an offense, and even remember what kind of instrument was used to inflict the punishment. Whether it was a belt, a switch, a hand, or a paddle, this form of punishment always left a lasting impression. For centuries spanking has been the main form of punishment used by parents to correct bad behavior in their children. Only recently has this age old standard been questioned. More attention is being paid to a child’s welfare, and rightly so. More studies are being conducted on the effects of punishment styles and how those effects shape a child. So, how does one properly discipline a child, with the intent being correction not harm? There are many choices that can be made.   What exactly is corporal punishment? Corporal punishment is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child’s unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate language. The immediate aims of such punishment are usually to halt the offense, prevent its recurrence, and set an example for others. The purported long-term goal is to change the child’s behavior and to make it more consistent with the adult’s expectation. (Dayton, 1994)   Each parent must make the decision early if he, or she, will spank and when it should be applied. The parents must also decide what kind of instrument will be used to inflict the punishment. Some choices are switches, belts, paddles, yardsticks, a hand, and even a fly-swatter can be used. The parent must then stick to that policy, keeping in mind that the main goal of punishment should be to correct bad behavior. Parents must not be... [continues]

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