The Outcomes Of Corporal Punishment In Children

Every child goes though that phase where they want to be on top of the world. They think they can do what they want, when they want. But then comes the mighty parents, using discipline to ensure the problem child doesn’t do this heinous act ever again. It is the job of parents to make sure their child remains as behaved as possible, eventually making them into great people in our society. But when does it become too much? Sometimes children can act so bad that the parent feels to need to inflict pain on them to make sure they learned from their mistakes, but they don’t know the potential consequences of their actions not only on the child, but to the parents themselves in extreme cases. It is one thing to discipline your child, but it is also another to straight up hit them to scare them. It is wrong and should not have any place in this world. Corporal punishment should not be allowed because it causes mental problems for the child, it sets a bad example for them to follow, and it should be banned all over the globe.

The mental well-being for a child is very important. Parents really want their kids to grow up and become successful in their adulthood. However, inflicting military-like discipline can take a huge toll on their emotions. So much so that they start to become scared for their life. According to American Psychological Association, using physical discipline can be a good way to get a child to behave in the heat of the moment, but excessive usage of this type of punishment can lead to mental issues for the child later. It also doesn’t make the child learn from what they did wrong in the first place. Likewise, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry made a list of potential things that a child who has experienced corporal punishment can have. These include aggressive behavior, low self-esteem, and having the urge to hit people. Both articles state that physical discipline is only a short-term solution to a child acting up, and that later down the line it influences the kid. Some of the mental health issues can be very traumatizing to the victims. It can lead to a loss of trust in others, and the parent-child relationship between them and their parents will always be strained if there is a history of corporal discipline in the family.

It would be only a matter of time before the child starts to inflict this punishment onto others. The most common example of this is bullying in school. Bullying is usually a result of extremely bad parenting with corporal punishment. “Being on the receiving end, children may learn to associate violence with power or getting one’s own way,” says Emily Cuddy, a professor of the Brookings Institute. According to Cuddy, parents who constantly hit their child results in much worse behavior by the child. The AAP also agrees with this, saying that the more children get hit by their parents, the more they feel the urge to use violence when they feel the need to. Our children shouldn’t end up having aggressive behavior, because teaching them to use violence against people to get what they want can potentially put them into jail in their adulthood.

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Although corporal punishment is a bad way to discipline our kids, most parents seem to think it is alright to use it. Southern Methodist University’s research shows that most parents believe that it is okay to spank, not hit, their child to get them to behave. It is still legally permitted in 19 states to use corporal punishment against your child. The Brookings Institution also claims that physical discipline is a culturally accepted way of punishing young children. The fact that it is this accepted in our society is terrible to think about. To think that a parent would even lay a hand on their child is sickening, let alone think it is actually alright and normal to do it. Research shows that most countries do no think it is right, and they outright ban this type of behavior by parents. The United States should follow this principle and start punishing parents who do use force to discipline their child, because they could be creating more criminals and they don’t know it yet.

There are plenty of ways to prevent such acts from happening in the household. There isn’t not a way to punish a child for misbehavior without using force. A good and popular example of this is taking away their privileges. Also known as grounding them. This method is popular among parents as it is effective in that the troubled child will learn from their actions and never do it again. Another way of preventing misbehavior is to try and be a role model for them. Try and teach them how to be respectful, responsible people. This can be very beneficial to them in the future, they can end up being great people and can be responsible. These children shouldn’t have to live their life in fear.

Corporal punishment is not an acceptable way of disciplining children. It isn’t even worth using in the first place, as it can lead to unexpected but terrible things. Children are influenced by their parents/guardians, and it should remain that way but not to the extent of violence. There needs to be a line that should never be crossed by the parents. That way, we can ensure the safety and the success of the up and coming generation. That way, they can live happy lives without fear.