Disciplining Children Is Inhumane

Many people believe that disciplining children is inhumane. The reasoning for this is:

American Humane, as a policy, opposes the use of physical discipline on children at home, in the community, or in school. In two national surveys, Murray A. Straus, co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, found that 90% of parents of three- and four-year-olds had struck their children and that 22% of parents of children under one year of age had also hit their children. The second study in 1997 found that 44% of mothers reported spanking their children during the previous week, and reported spanking their children approximately twice a week (Straus, Sugarman, & Giles-Sims, 1997).

Straus, Sugerman, and Giles-Sims

These statements are arguments using non sequitur. Non sequitur means "it does not follow." This fallacy occurs when a person submits that a given fact has led or must inevitably lead to a particular consequence. Someone can take a fact and project a conclusion or one can take an anticipated fact and spell out the consequence. It lends itself to describing arguments with multiple causes.

It is often said that physical discipline will damage children later on in life. Opponents of physical discipline claim that the children will grow up to become delinquents or even violent later on in life. However, there are many happy adults today that were physically disciplined and grew up to become very successful well-grounded individuals. Another point often made is that physical discipline teaches children that force can be used to make others do what you want. In fact, children brought up well, soon learn that force by itself is nothing, it must be associated with the right thing to

Discipline is as vital for healthy child development as nutritious food, physical and cognitive exercises, love, and other basic needs. Without discipline, children lack the tools necessary to navigate relationships and challenges in life, such as self-discipline, respect for others, and the ability to cooperate with peers.

Discipline is not about creating conflict with your child or lashing out in anger. Disciplining your child, but when done correctly, is not about trying to control your child, but about showing them how to control their own behavior.

It is not about punishing a child for doing something wrong but, about setting clear parameters and consequences for breaking rules so that they learns how to discipline themselves.

A child who has been taught right from wrong and has a solid sense of what negative and positive behavior is. They will know when they have done something wrong. They will want to behave correctly out of a desire to be a good citizen and a member of their family and society, not because they fear