3 of 41

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 4

can we claim to be doing the right thing by our children while knowing what the research has revealed?

Here are a few more examples of practices that were accepted during our parents' time which are now unacceptable because "we know better":

In the past dentists never wore gloves when treating patients. Today, would you allow a dentist to put his (or her) hands into your mouth now without gloves on?

During our parents' generation, it was a recommended practice of the day to wean children and offer them formula instead of breastfeeding. Today we know so much more about the benefits of breastfeeding that no medical practitioner in his (or her) right mind would insist that formula feeding is preferable for mother and baby over breastfeeding.

The Effectiveness of Smacking

One might argue that smacking is effective in conveying the message across to a child that he (or she) did wrong and that nothing else will communicate the lesson quite as well. Longitudinal studies, however, have shown the converse to be true. In fact, schools that had the highest rates of corporal punishment also had "the lowest graduation rates, the highest rates of teen pregnancy, the highest incarceration rates and the highest murder rates".

A survey on "The Influence of Corporal Punishment on Crime" (Adah Maurer, Ph.D. and James S. Wallerstein, 1987) found that 100% of the violent inmates at San Quentin State prison experienced extreme physical punishment growing up, while most professionals either did not experience physical punishment or only mild to moderate physical punishment growing up. The survey found a distinct correlation between physical punishment and a child's success in later life.

You will find that adults who were hit as kids, while believing that it did them "no harm" can seldom articulate any way in which it helped them. When you were smacked as a child for bad behaviour, after which you behaved yourself, ask yourself - why did you behave? Was it because you knew it was wrong, because you were afraid of getting smacked again, or because you didn't want to disappoint your parents? Without proper discipline on why certain behaviours are wrong, smacking alone will not teach a child why they should behave. Sometimes smacking causes so much distress in a child than any lesson that was communicated gets lost in translation.

Exactly what are the lessons learned from being hit? Often it leads to bullying and the acceptance that it is okay to hit others, especially

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about To smack or not to smack a child?
We want to hear your view. Write now!