Should spanking a child under age 3 be considered a crime?

Question

There is a bill being drafted in California that would make it a criminal offense. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070119/lf_afp/uspoliticschildren_070119202053 I have never spanked my child and he is now 20. We communicate instead.

What if the spanking is a result of anger? This could easily lead to child abuse. Some parents don't know their own strength. There are better ways to discipline a child. Most misbehaved children are only looking for attention. What if the parent responds with positive attention or redirects the childs misbehavior into a form of positive creativity.

Answer 1

I know where you are going with this and my personal answer is NO.

Answer 2

Personally, the way I see it is this:
spanking is not very effective. I have resolved to only use it as a LAST resort (if EVER) in my parenting.

While I don't like it, I don't see it as abuse UNLESS it is done out of anger. I am sorry, but if you are "spanking" a child as an angry reaction, then you are not spanking them, you are hitting them, and that is abuse. If you hit an adult in anger, they would haul you off to jail.

As far as ages go, I would think it would depend on the severity of the spanking, offense, and maturity of the child. Nevertheless, since the definition of "spanking" is so broad, I think that it is good to set some legal boundaries for it. A slap on the hand may be appropriate for an under three year old, but a spanking with a belt or other hard object would not be. So I guess it would depend on the state's legal definition of "spank."

I think it is a good idea to set some standards for this reason: adults often do not know their own strength. It is way easier to lose your temper and hurt a child when "spanking" them, and that is a socially acceptable means of discipline. But most parents would never consider "abusing" their child. If spanking became abuse, that would remove the temptation to spank out of anger. It gives a definite line to not cross.

JMO.

Answer 3

Are you talking about that women who wants to pass a law in California? Spanking a child under the age of four should be a crime?
Well, in my opinion that bill will never pass. Parents have a right to raise a child the way they want. Children should be spanked when needed. And I am not talking about child abuse, I mean a mild spanking to teach the child not to do it again. Children show more respect towards parents that discipline them.
Look at our society. It is going way down due to the fact that people let kids do whatever they want with not having to pay the consequences.
When disciplining your child wasn't considered child abuse and kids were being spanked for doing something they shouldn't have - was there any shootings going on in schools (Columbine)? Did parents have teenage daughters coming home pregnant? (I am not saying this didn't happen in those years but it was very rare compared to how ridiculously bad it is now) Was the drug issue this bad? Kids are starting to get high now by grade 2 because they have no fear of what will happen if they do these "bad" things that harm them for the rest of their lives. This is child abuse. This is child neglect.

Once again I am not for child abuse. There is a vast difference whether some of you people like it or not.

Answer 4

I do not think that it should be considered a crime. Spanking is a perfectly fine method of punishment for all children, including those under the age of three. People who are going to abuse their children are going to do so regardless of any law and I do not think that all parents (the majority of whom are not child abusers) who spank their children should be criminally punished. It is too big an intrusion on private lives and parenting by the government.

Answer 5

Under the age of 2 is too young for actually spanking. But a small smack to the hand should be okay like if they are about to touch a hot stove. Some kids are born hard headed, and just saying " No, No!" won't do a thing to deter them from doing something that could hurt them.

Answer 6

Kids under the age of 3 are more intelligent than you think. I wouldn't advocate spanking as a first resort, but I do lightly spank hands if I say no and am not listened to (family, not students). It should be a crime to have a kid with no discipline whatsoever.

Answer 7

There is a big big big difference in spanking out of love as discipline and out right child abuse. With that in mind, no it shouldn't and it is every parent's right to choose whether or not to spank.

Answer 8

Beating yes! Spanking on the bare bottom yes. But, 1 or 2 quick spanks because he/she may be in danger ( running into the street, etc.) will not hurt the child. You only spank when you really need it!

Answer 9

NO, you have never spanked your child, that doesn't mean spanking should be illegal. Every family uses their own methods. We as a free country need to respect that.

Answer 10

I consider myself a Libertarian, yet I think this has gone too far. We preach having the government stay out of our private lives, demonstrated in being pro-choice, yet this ideology doesn't apply to children? Instead of making it a law, I'd suggest harsher punishments for parents who beat children.

Answer 11

heck no it aint a crime!!! there are more people in this country that "beat" their kids that ruin it for all of us who are trying their hardest to raise a decent kid that actually listens to us. I think the government needs to keep their heads on the war that is going on and not how good parents are trying to raise good kids