Spanking is a widely used but controversial disciplinary technique -- even among parents who choose to spank. According to a 2006 study in "Pediatrics," 14 percent to 59 percent of mothers spanked their children with their hands at least once a week when the children were between the ages of 12 and 48 months. However, many mothers who spanked questioned whether it was effective and regretted spanking in anger. Much of this ambivalence about spanking results from the variety of reasons psychologists, teachers and parents have presented either for or against spanking.
Persistent Misbehavior
Spanking, when used as a final resort, may stop behavior problems that gentler disciplinary methods don't correct, claim pediatricians Den A. Trumbull and S. DuBose Ravenel. They believe it works best with children between 18 months and 6 years, since they do not understand reasoning as well as older children. If explaining why their behavior is wrong doesn't convince them to stop, they believe children may pay attention to a swat on the bottom. Children with more stubborn personalities may also require a more severe consequence than a time-out or reasoning can supply before they will change their behavior.
Serious Misbehavior
Spanking is an intense form of punishment, argues psychologist and educator Paul J. Preston, and for that reason, it can effectively stop misbehavior that puts children in danger or damages the trust between parent and child. Preston believes that children who run into the road or play with a stove's burners need to have their dangerous behavior responded to immediately to protect them. Lying and deliberate disobedience also require a strong response. Dishonesty and a lack of respect for parents' authority, left unchecked, will harm the parent-child relationship.
Emotional Harm
According to pediatrician William Sears, spanking produces intense negative emotions in children. They may feel frightened by their parent's anger, the prospect of being hurt or the pain caused by a spanking. They may feel humiliated by the experience and decide they are now "bad" children. They may end up with long-term anger against their parents for punishment they feel was unfair or that violated them. Because of the intense emotions spanking arouses, memories of spanking may outweigh other positive and happy childhood memories.
Future Behavior Problems
Spanking increases a child's risk of misbehaving in the future. A 2004 study in "Pediatrics" found an association between the frequency of spanking before age 2 with behavior problems in school four years later. White non-Hispanic children spanked five times in a week had 4.2 times the risk of behavior problems significant enough to require a parent-teacher conference as children who received no spankings. A 2010 study in "Pediatrics" also reported that 3-year-old children who had been spanked more than once a month were at an increased risk for aggressive behavior at age 5.
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