What do you think of spanking?

May 4th, 2010 / 3 Comments

WPTV.com’s article on 10 Controversial Parenting Tips prompted me to give my two cents on the 10 hot button issues of parenting.

Here are the first 2 hot button issues

What do you think of co-sleeping?

What do you think of homeschooling?

Today’s post is hot button issue #3, Spanking.

“Spare the rod, spoil the child? Spanking opponents says its a violent act, while opponents say a little swat never hurt anyone.”

My husband and I have never spanked our children. A slap on the hand when my son was about to touch an electric fan in motion, or a swat on the leg when the kids kicked each other under the table during dinner is as close to a spanking as they got.

I agree with the views of the experts in the article. There is usually no reason to spank. Other disciplinary action can be taken instead of spanking. Consistent discipline that includes age-appropriate expectations and consequences is what parents should practice.

The main problem with spanking is that it is usually done out of anger. I can vouch for the fact that kids often drive us crazy! They argue, they whine, they make messes…couple that with stress from work and we lose it by the end of the day. In our culture where the pace of life is fast and multitasking is normal, many parents I’ve talked to feel they get angry over “normal” types of childish behavior. Even excessive yelling, hostility, demeaning words are in some ways similar to spanking. A home that is consistently this way can not be good for anyone.

For the record, I am not against spanking IF it is done correctly. But chances are we won’t do it correctly, so we better play it safe – don’t spank. This will force us to give our attention and thought to better ways of discipline.