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Parents Should Not Spank Their Children Essay examples

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Spanking has been the way of discipline for many years, but in reality it is child abuse. Spanking, also known as corporal punishment, to me is any kind of negative physical contact to a child with the intention to cause pain as a way of discipline. Anything from a pat on the butt, to the use of a belt or paddle on a child, or a smack on the hand or mouth can be considered spanking. Child abuse is violence, and "violence is an act carried out with the intention, or perceived intention, of causing physical pain or injury to another person" (Straus 7). The intentions of both spanking and violence are to cause pain and the only difference is that violence also covers acts of injury. So, are parents actually teaching their children …show more content…

They can't hit the child for hitting the other person as a way of correcting them and tell them that hitting is wrong, because the parent taught them the act of hitting. "Approval of physical punishment for a child who has hit a playmate appears to include a confusing and contradictory message" (Flynn 33). They may learn from this that violence is acceptable. For example, one day when I smacked my child on the hand for doing something wrong he smacked me right back. So, I smacked him and said, "you don't hit mommy," and he smacked me again. I then realized that this was very confusing to him. So, coming from someone with experience on the issue, I have resorted to spanking in the past and it was not effective. Spanking also effects a child emotionally. Think of a child looking up at this huge person hitting them. This could cause the child to feel inferior. In the long run, the child could develop insecurities. Spanking could also teach a child to lie. Why would a child confess to something if they knew that their punishment would be something that will cause them pain? A child's self esteem could be lowered by spanking as well. They may feel that when they are being spanked that the parent is telling them that they are a bad person and this can stay with them throughout their life. "Kids who receive a lot of physical punishment are less spontaneous, more reserved, and afraid to try

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