Spanking Children Essay

Chicago Tribune’s journalist Heidi Stevens wrote about recent studies claiming that spanking children does not prevent bad behavior but worsens. To emphasize, research author from the University of Texas at Austin, Elizabeth T. Gershoff claimed that spanking increases aggression, delinquent behaviors, anxiety, and depression. Although her research and claims may be true, I disagree with Steven’s article. From my experience, proper spanking can prevent bad behavior, but beating a child can increase negative effects on a child. Gershoff claimed that spanking increases aggression, delinquent behaviors, and depression. What researchers and some viewers do not realize is that most parents do not spank their children out of anger or hate; they do this out of love. For example, I have had spankings from my mother and remembering back, my mother would explain what I did wrong first and then spank me with her hand on my derriere. After the discipline, my mom would tell me at the end that she did it out of love. I only had spankings during elementary school, but starting middle school, the spankings ended. Therefore, after that experience, I was never aggressive, depressed,
Another reason could be the failure of parents telling their children that they did it out of love and other positive reasons in order for children to know that they care. . It is evident that Gershoff’s study of spanking was inconsistent due to limitations of the study. To explain, the researcher only researched the “hands-on- child” style of spanking ,but not other styles like using belts, switches from trees, or spanking that is private or in public. Also she should research how parents react before and after giving a spanking or measure their feelings. Also, she can do a study of adults who had been spanked as