Why Spanking Should Not Be Banned

Spanking is the act of smacking the buttocks of a child with an opened hand. Some parents adopt this form of corporal punishment as a back up to non-physical discipline. The act of spanking a child in parenting should not be banned by the law because it is not a form of abuse. Parents should be free to spank their children appropriately, at the right time and for the right reasons, to create an understanding for what is acceptable and what is not. On the other hand, many countries banned spanking because they believe it to be a form of physical abuse that could lead the child to develop psychological problems. In fact, Sweden was the first country to banish such act in 1979, and the European Committee has been trying to encourage the countries

For instance, yelling and screaming could influence negatively the psychological and emotional state of a child. Indeed, verbal abuse can be much worse than a simple spank in the buttocks. Furthermore, according to Howard Davidson, director of the ABA Center on Children and Law, States have different approaches to the issue. He says, “By far the most common approach, used in twenty-six states, says parents may use reasonable force if it is necessary to reasonably maintain discipline. Eight other say parents may not use extreme or excessive force. Other states define specific prohibited acts, forbid cruelty or torture, or consider things like the age and size of the child” (qtd. in Laird n. page.). For example, in Texas parents and guardians are allowed to use force to the degree they believe it’s necessary for discipline or promoting the child’s welfare (Laird n. pag.). In other words, the decision on the matter is a community standard that can differ from place to

Elizabeth Gershoff, a developmental psychologist at the University of Texas in Austin, said that multiple studies have concluded that such punishment doesn’t create a short-term compliance or help children learn right from wrong in the long-term. Furthermore, she said that spanking is correlated with increased antisocial behavior, more mental health problems and less self-regulation (Laird n. pag.). If such studies were accurate we would definitely see an improvement in children’s behavior in the countries where spanking was banned by the law. Instead, such improvement never occurred, and studies show the opposite. Sweden is a clear example. In conclusion, spanking is an ancient act used by parents of many races and ethnicity, and depriving parents of the freedom to establish discipline in their children by comparing a spank to physical abuse is erroneous. Indeed, a good old spank in the buttocks will certainly prove a point when a child misbehaves. After all, even the famous idiom says short-time pain for long-term