by Aubrey Little

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 27, 2009

To spank or not to spank, that is the question! This debate has been occurring for decades, but after all this time, we are still split in our opinions. The issue that seems to be at the root of the problem is the fear that people use corporal punishment as a means of abusing children.

Is spanking a disciplinary action that helps to reinforce the severity of the child's transgression or is it a means to allow people to perpetrate the horrible act of abuse?

This debate has been occurring for decades and the answer still is not black and white. Much of your personal impressions will be formed based upon whether or not you were spanked as a child, whether or not it was effective in making you think twice before doing it again, and whether or not the act was one of abusive nature or not.

As a former teacher I understand some of the biggest concerns around spanking, but I think that we are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

What works for punishing one child will not work for another child. The one strand approach to discipline has to be replaced with intelligent thought to avoid children being abused as a result of using spanking as the primary form of punishment.

Corporal Punishment

When I was growing up, it was absolutely acceptable behaviour to bare your child's bottom, put your child across your knee and spank him/her at the very moment that he/she behaved that way. It wasn't even usual to see this happening inside of malls and at camp grounds. Parents were empowered to stop bad behaviour before it got out of hand. The time-outs that are used these days do little to reinforce the reason the behaviour is unacceptable and as a result the child will begin to act up again.

Our parents could easily determine the force with which the spanking was administered, whether or not it was by hand/belt/wooden spoon, and the number of times the child needed to be smacked before he/she would recognize the errors of his/her way.

Spanking, for most children, worked very well as a deterrent. The physical pain and perhaps the embarrassment (for those who were spanked in malls/stores) made a very effective form of punishment. The children were generally well-behaved after receiving their punishment for the fear of being put across their parents' knees. The child begins to realize that what he/she did was not acceptable and would not be tolerated.

It is true that some people are unable to administer any form of corporal punishment to their children without

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