I think there are many problems with spanking, and long term psychological effects might be one of them (that reason alone should give all parents serious motivation to seek other “tools” for educating and forming their children)… but the more immediate problem is that a spanking absolutely DOES NOT teach a child right from wrong. In fact, it handicaps moral development by teaching them to consider only the fear of punishment- that is, the outcome of a behaviour TO THEMSELVES. It motivates them to try and hide their behaviour that they fear might displease us, it teaches them to fear failure, it creates or contributes to an adversarial tone in the parent-child relationship that often predicts increasing trouble down the road… PUNISHMENT does not teach… DISCIPLINE does. That is, making DISCIPLES of your children- teaching them, reasoning with them, modeling respect, grace, kindness, patience… And until then, we can choose to avoid situations, we can find ways to make it safe, we can TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
In closing, I’d like to add that this one study does not stand alone, flawed as the wording or methodology might be… EVERY study done on spanking, in every country in the world, for more than 50 years shows that spanking is at best ineffective and at worst extremely damaging to moral and psychological development…
Dear undergrace,
Cordial greetings and a very good day.
The vast majority of parents quite rightly continue to believe that physical chastisement is an effective and jolly valuable disciplinary tool, provided that it is administered appropriately within the context of loving home where the children are reared by well-balanced parents. It is essential to find a happy medium between firmness and loving sensitivity. It is perfectly true, dear friend, that corporal punishment may not be appropriate for every child or at every age and may not be always warranted in certain situations. For example, willful disobedience and defiance of authority might require physical punishment, whilst mere childish irresponsibility and frivolity decidedly does not. However, when corporal punishment is properly managed there is no valid reason to fear that it it will, at length, produce harmful or psychological/emotional effects in children. To dogmatically assert that it will do so, is to be duped by so called studies, such as the one linked by the OP, conducted by those with an
a priori bias and antipathy against virtually any authority and discipline worthy of the name. Even good Catholic people can be deceived by the superficially plausible arguments of the so called ‘experts’ who have, of course, their own liberal agenda for society. Moroever, the studies also reflect the unrelentless barrage of propaganda with which parents have been subjected since the 1960’s and so it is hardly surprising that many have been brainwashed into believing that physical chastisement is ineffective and damaging to moral and psychological development. Such is the impact of liberal ideology and its aggressive indoctrination programme. Catholics should also be made aware that the alleged ‘experts’ on child discipline/development are invariably hostile to the Christian religion and so have their own reasons for disliking physical punishment and wanting it banned, given its advocacy by conservative Christians.
However, dear friend, there may just be a glimmer of light looming upon the horizon, amidst all this wrongheaded thinking, for social science appears at long last to be catching up with the sound and practical wisdom of Sacred Scripture. A 2007 scientific study by the American College of Pediatricians concluded:
“It is clear that parents should not rely on disciplinary spanking to accomplish control of their child’s behaviour. Evidence suggests that it can be a useful and necessary part of a successful disciplinary plan. Like any corrective measure, its application requires a proactive rather than a reactive approach to produce an optimal outcome. Disciplinary spanking is most beneficial and necessary during the ages of 2 to 6 years when reasoning alone is often ineffective and even counter-productive in managing behaviour. With cognitive development , a child is more likely to respond to reasoning and less assertive corrective methods, such as privilege removal and logical consequences, thereby diminishing the need for spanking”.
There is little, if anything, that I would disagree with here, dear friend, and I suspect that would be the case for all the advocates of the moderate physical chastisement of children. It is surely a welcome return to the good old fashioned common sense, supported by the Judaeo-Christian tradition.
In concluding let me say, dear friend, that it is a sad fact that our Western world has become deeply suspicious of the whole concept of punishment for wrongdoing. Our judicial and penal systems tend to want to deal with criminals merely in terms of detering and reforming them, rather than in terms of retribution. Herein lies the imbalance of a liberal society, I am afraid, and this warped thinking has necessarily influenced the discipline and training of children. Modern society by and large has completely lost sight of this whole idea of punishment, which has come to be viewed as something negative and associated with revenge. Thus it is hardly surprising that innumerable modern psychologists, from Dr. Spock to those ubiquitous so called magazine ‘agony aunts’, have spared no effort in trying to convince the public that the whole concept of punishment is mistaken and unhelpful, having no place in a modern civilised society. Now I would contend, dear friend, that many modern Catholics have, either wittingly or unwittingly, to some extent at least, bought into this liberal drivel and that this has informed their views respecting child discipline and rearing. Sadly, many ignorant persons equate the corporal punishment of children with child abuse and so it is increasingly difficult to have a reasoned debate, without people resorting to emotive language.
God bless.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
Pax
You should visit the Eye; it’s a very good view from the top! The first time I had ever seen one of the Dyson hand dryers was in that toilet, there at the Eye. Phenomenal machines, those. Just brilliant.
