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Spanking makes kids perform better in school, helps them become more successful
A study, which found that young children whose parents spank them perform better at school later on, isn’t winning high marks with child development experts.
The research, by Calvin College psychology professor Marjorie Gunnoe, found that kids smacked before age 6 grew up to be more successful, and that there was not enough evidence to say that smacking harms most kids, according to the London Daily Mail. But those who were smacked after age 6 were more likely than other kids to have behavioral difficulties, such as getting into fights, the Daily Mail reports.
Gunnoe, who interviewed 2,600 people about being smacked, told the Daily Mail: “The claims that are made for not spanking children fail to hold up. I think of spanking as a dangerous tool, but then there are times when there is a job big enough for a dangerous tool. You don’t use it for all your jobs.”
Spanking is generally ineffective, says Tracy Dennis, associate professor of psychology at Hunter College. “I am not a personal proponent of spanking but there are many ways of doing it,” she explains. “I wouldn’t want parents to misinterpret these findings and think it’s okay to spank a child.”
Parenting guru Penelope Leach did not agree with Gunnoe’s research, according to the Daily Mail. “No good can come from hitting a child,” she says. “I do not buy this idea that children will learn positive behavior from being smacked.”
Why would young kids benefit from spanking while older kids were harmed by it, as Gunnoe’s research suggests?
Most parents spank young kids to keep them safe, Dennis explains. A parent may slap a toddler’s hand if they touch a hot stove, or spank a child who runs into the street. In that context, she says, a smack can be considered a way to keep a child out of danger or to assert parental authority, she says.
As a child grows older, parents may resort to spanking as a kind of default, Dennis says. “I suspect that these parents don’t have much of a repertoire of parenting strategies, or maybe those children have behavior problems so the parents are more inclined to smack them,” she says. “Smacking just makes things worse.”
And, she adds, “When a child is spanked when a parent loses control in an aggressive, fear-inducing way, this models aggression for the child and starts a cycle of violence in that child.”
Even timeouts, Dennis says, can have a detrimental effect on kids if imposed when a parent is out of control. “If you give your child a timeout because he or she broke a rule and you want there to be a consequence and you speak calmly, that is one thing,” Dennis says. “But if you are screaming and angry when you give the timeout, it’s not effective.”
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Posted in: News on January 10, 2010 @ 10:13 PM
Tags: Parents, School, Violence, Youth Rights
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I found your site on Google and read a few of your other entires. Nice Stuff.
I’m looking forward to reading more from you.
Spirit of the law or letter of the law?: The vast majority of professionals agree that child bottom-battering/slapping isn’t healthy. A marginal few (mostly religious fundamentalists as those at Calvin) think that child bottom-slapping is good.
"The much-touted 'biblical argument' in support of corporal punishment is founded upon proof-texting a few isolated passages from Proverbs. Using the same method of selective scripture reading, one could also cite the Bible as an authority for the practice of slavery, adultery, polygamy, incest, suppression of women, executing people who eat pork, and infanticide. The brutal and vindictive practice of corporal punishment cannot be reconciled with the major New Testament themes that teach love and forgiveness and a respect for the sacredness and dignity of children, and which overwhelmingly reject violence and retribution as a means of solving human problems. Would Jesus ever hit a child? NEVER!"
The Rev. Thomas E. Sagendorf, United Methodist Clergy (Retired), Hamilton, Indiana. Personal communication, 2006.
People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual assault if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.
For one thing, buttock-battering can vibrate the pudendal nerve, which can lead to sexual arousal in some people. There are numerous other physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can use the resources I've posted if they want to learn more.
Child bottom-battering/slapping vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child bottom-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting","switching","smacking", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr. Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at http://www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Well yes, if you are physically assaulted at home, school, where teachers are not allowed to touch you, might feel like a relief.
I read your article and found it to be very ignorant. I was an abused child, not just by getting my butt spanked occassionally, but in the horrible, criminal sense of the word. I was beaten with a leather bull-whip until I could not sit down. I do believe in spanking children when they have committed a heinous act toward a parent or sibling or anyone else for that matter. If a child is going wild, not listening, throwing things around the room and acting like an animal, how do you propose that a "time-out" is going to be effective? You are not even able to get the child's attention long enough to direct them to "time-out". I did swat my seven-year old one time, open-handed right on the butt, and he straightened up very quickly. He didn't throw anything else, or yell anymore, or run through the house acting like a nut. I understand that I might have hurt his feelings, but it did shut down the beast that was raging inside of him. He knows I love him, and he also knows that when I give him a choice, there is a fair consequence to go along with it. Never has that consequence been laid out as a spanking, usually it is being grounded. That is the only time I have ever had to spank him. When all else fails though, I do not see anything wrong with a spank on the butt. I do not advocate child abuse in any form, shape, or way. I am also quick to stand up for any child when I think the punishment being given to them is too harsh for a child.
okay so maybe it wasn't the article itself, but these other comments underneath mine. Sorry about the mix-up.
It does nothing...it's pointless?