2 of 52

Yes

Write now Article Tools

'Spare the rod and spoil the child,' our parents used to say, but these days everyone seems to be against physical punishment for children. Like anyone else, I am firmly against gratuitous violence, particularly towards children but, in my opinion, a well-timed smack does no harm. A smack is an instant punishment which should be administered when needed. My kids are grown up now, but they got a smack when necessary, and they've grown into kind, well-balanced adults who have also smacked their own children when necessary.

Kids need boundaries, and I believe that most of their bad behaviour arises because they are testing the limits of acceptable behaviour. It's part of the growing up process, and it needs to be handled in the right way. If the parent responds by saying, 'I'm really disappointed with you for doing that, don't do it again,' the child believes he's gotten away with it, so the next instance of bad behaviour will be even worse. And if you send them to their room, well, they probably don't mind that, as they can go on the computer or watch TV, knowing their parent is not going to disturb them during the allotted time of their 'punishment.'

If you respond to bad behaviour by saying, 'Wait 'til your father gets home,' the punishment is deferred and, again, they've gotten away with it because when Dad gets home, he'll rightly tell Mum she should have punished Junior right away, and what the hell does she expect him to do about it now? Added to this, Junior is going to either a) be scared of his father, as he is presented as some sort of avenger or, b) consider his father ineffectual, because he's always threatened with him, but nothing ever comes of it. Either scenario is detrimental to both the parent/child relationship and discipline in the home. The most effective punishment is the short, sharp shock, administered at the time of the offence.

Children, like young animals, learn through pain. If a child burns his hand on a hot kettle, he won't touch it again, because he may be curious but he's found out that hot things hurt. If a kitten is giving the mother cat trouble, the cat will cuff the kitten or give it a nip and the trouble stops. As long as the cat doesn't rip the kitten's throat out, there's no harm done, and the kitten has learned the valuable lesson that there are acceptable standards of behaviour, and if you breach those standards you'll be punished.

When it comes to your own litter, a judicious tap is a good weapon to have in your armoury, as long as it is a smack and not a beating. No matter how bad the behaviour, you can never justify or excuse brutality to a child, so don't spare the rod, but don't break it across your child's back either.

Learn more about this author, Sandra Piddock.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Should parents use corporal punishment to discipline children??
We want to hear your view. Write now!