Spanking The Gray Matter Out Of Our Children Essay

Children will do things they are not suppose to do because it is in their nature. It is the parents job to teach them how to behave in polite society. Luckily for them, there are plenty of tools and resources to utilize so they can get the most out of their efforts and to give the child its best chance at growing up so they can be a productive member of society. One tool some parents have used is corporal punishment and it is undermining everything they are trying to instill into their children. According to Don H. and Sandra E. Hockenbury, authors of Discovering Psychology, “punishment may temporarily decrease the occurrence of problem behavior, it doesn’t promote more desirable or appropriate behaviors in its place” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2014, p. 206).
Author of Spanking the Gray Matter Out of Our Kids, Sarah Kovac stated that “Researchers found children who were regularly spanked had less grey matter in certain areas of the prefrontal center that have been linked to depression, addiction, and other mental health disorders” (Kovac 2014). Due to having less grey matter in their brains, children are less likely to be able to control their actions, which will lead to more poor decision making and bad behavior on the child’s part. It turns into a vicious cycle in which no one is going to be the winner. Parents wishing to make a more positive impact on their child’s behavior should turn to other forms of interactions such as positive reinforcement of good behavior. That will encourage the child to continue with the good behavior, which will make for a more well rounded individual as they become an