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Corporal punishment has proven to be an effective discipline tool in my family for generations. My grandparents, my parents, and my husband and I have all used corporal punishment as a last -resort discipline tool. As a teacher I have also seen it as a successful deterrent when other measures have failed.

First my grandparents raised eight children using this method, all of whom grew up to be wonderful, productive members of society. None of them are violent, nor did they abuse their children. Now, it needs to be clear that their use of this method was limited to a true spanking on the behind. They never hit their children elsewhere nor did they bruise or leave any marks other than maybe a short-lived red spot.

As their eight children began to raise their own children, four married spouses who also thought corporal punishment was allowable , but the other four of them married people who did not believe in corporal punishment. Now out of the eight grandchildren who were given swats when they became out of line, all have turned out to be productive and well balanced in their adult lives. All have graduated from high school and either went on to college or a technical training school. Only two have been divorced, and tweny-five percent is well below the national average of the fifty percent divorce rate.

Then there are the other nine grandchildren raised by parents who did not use corporal punishment. Unfortunately only one has a consistent and socially acceptable job, and all nine have been divorced at least once. Seven have criminal records and two have spent time in prison or jail. Obviously all of their problems can not be blamed on not being given a quick swat to the behind as children, but they defintely may have benefitted from learning their actions have consequences.

As an educator I have often assigned the topic of corporal punishment to my students, and for twenty years it has been consistently true that the students who write that they think corporal punishment is an acceptable means of punishment are also my most well-behaved and successful students. Their creativity does not in any way appear to be diminished, and they seem to be well balanced mentally. The students who write in opposition to this type of punishment usually admit it is not used by their family. They are more often than not the least successful academically and more defiant in class than the others.

As far as my husband and I, we do use spanking when all else has failed. We mostly used it when our children were younger. As they matured, we have used it very little because they are well-behaved and loving children. Both are in the top two percent of their classes. They are outgoing and creative and well liked by their peers. We have a close, loving relationship with our children.

Although corporal punishment does not guarantee success, family unity, or good citizenship, in my family and teaching experiences I have seen it to be one common element in these areas. I think that we have let those opposing this method of discipline to use what is actually child abuse rather than spanking to convince people that a pop on the fanny would be harmful to a child physically and emotionally when it actually it might teach them that negative actions receive negative consequences.

Learn more about this author, Carrle Hopkins.
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