Should people be able to punish children by hitting them?

[Nitrus]

Should parents/relatives/guardians be allowed to punish children by hitting them?

Personally I think that they shouldnt be hit that hard, but there is no way of regulating how hard they hit them.

Also, how will it be enforced if it happens at home, I mean I doubt the kid will report them.

Debate!

-N

[AlonzoMourning23]

No. Excluding the obvious risks, it's just lazy and short sighted. Even spanking has negative effects, as this form of punishment has been shown to increase aggression in children. Aggression increases the harder it gets.

Also, in some instances it acts as a reinforcer. Attention doesn't always have to be pleasurable to reinforce behavior.

[penmyst]

You need to clarify "hitting". Punishment and abuse are two different entities.


I've got no problem with disciplining a child with physical force.

Physical discomfort has a way of making that bit of gray matter between your ears start to work like it should.

A sharp crack on the azz from your daddy's belt manages to open your ears. You don't listen because you want to, you listen because you remember the pain of your punishment and don't want to experience it again. That's an important method with a child because children lack fully developed cognative abilities. (read: you can't reason with them as you do an adult)

[PittsburghAfterDark]

Good answer penymst.

A child can't understand you may not always have the money to drop $50 on toys in Wal Mart but they can understand that if they throw a tantrum after you saying "NO!" they'll get their ass whipped when they get home.

There's nothing wrong with corporal punishment. Striking a child across the face, arms, torso is wrong but a crack on the backside never killed anyone.

[Labrocca]

I got 4 kids ...and I spank them if and when needed. I actually just took a 5 week parenting class which of course didn't advise spanking or corporal punishments. However at times your best punishment is a quick spanking to get this kids attention.

[AlonzoMourning23]

The reason they don't advocate it is because studies have shown kids who are spanked show more aggression in other areas of life, and because the attention often acts as a reinforcer. It's a short term fix with long term problems.

[Deacon]

I just got back from Spring Break, and while I was waiting for my luggage in the Luggage claim. I saw a whining kid and then his dad start to spank him in public, everyone who saw it coming turned away. It is not only embarassing for the kid, it is also kind of embarassing for the parent too. So, I give spanking a NO!, but I have a short temper and need to work on that!

[Cephus]

I got 4 kids ...and I spank them if and when needed. I actually just took a 5 week parenting class which of course didn't advise spanking or corporal punishments. However at times your best punishment is a quick spanking to get this kids attention.

I've got two and if they deserve it, they get spanked. It's rare when they deserve it, they've been raised well and everyone raves about how well they act. It's a heck of a lot better than the people who say "oh, I don't spank my kids" while their brat is standing there lighting the cat on fire.

Now, why can't we go spank other people's kids? ;)

[George W Bush]

I dont have kids. So I cant answer with any experience points.
But, I will tell you what is ideal in my case:
no hitting whatsoever.
I hope to remove my frustration/anger away from the discipline and find other means.
But, those are idealogies. So, who knows. I'll tell you what I do when I get kids. :)

[Nathan Brazil]

Of course you should spank your kids, when necessary. How many times do you tell the little sister to stop hitting the big sister before a final intervention is necessary? You've been telling the big sister that she can't hit the little one all her life, and you don't want that conditioning broken, do you? You want the little sister to learn that she shouldn't hit people right? And why do we not want our children hitting each other? Because children are little animals and if they're not restrained and conditioned, they'll kill each other. What lesson does the parent's judicious application of pain to the child's rear do? It reinforces the authority of the parent over the child, it tells the child that she really screwed up, and acts as negative conditioning against whatever behavior needs to be curbed.

It isn't applicable in all cases, it shouldn't be used gratuitously, but it has a place in child rearing. Three million years of physical and cultural evolution can't be all wrong.

[Athena]

I did not like to be spanked, so I tried to avoid doing things that would result in being spanked.

Even worse was being put in a corner.Â*Â*Going to the corner or being sent to a bedroom, is emotionally painful. It is a form of rejection.Â*Â*A spanking only hurts the butt for the moment.Â*Â*

However, I have seen a child get into such a power struggle with a parent, that the parent could beat the child, and only increase defiance.Â*Â*Raising a child well requires wisdom, and also social support in values and principles.Â*Â*The US has become amoral, making parenting an almost impossible challenge, especially for low income people.Â*Â*

I think the question to hit or not hit a child, is more complex than a yes or no.Â*Â*At least I hope everyone is thinking about more than hitting or not hitting?Â*Â*