Should there be a law against spanking?

Question

I believe its the parents job to teach a child right and wrong.And how are we expected to do our job when there are so many rights and laws now?That's all we hear, its the parents job's to raise the children , its the parents fault they they act that way and so on. If people think children should have all these rights and are able to really think for themself enough to say they dont need punishments then why are so many children agnry,rude, out of control?Do they really think a "time out" and probably thats abuse to , is going to work all the time? What rights do the parents have anymore to do what they feel is best for THEIR kids? So what if the child gets a SMALL spank!!! The little angel will see another day,and might actually learn right and wrong.Would you rather see kids grow up and.. well just ask around your local prisons..I've probably made a lot of people mad but this is for the loving and hard working parents who want the best for their kids,i am with you 100%

EAC, where did you get that information? If you believe in child spaking your also for wife beating?? I mean this is what you said right? These are 2 totally different issues. A child is spanked because they are being taught right and wrong, that and only that geez

I agree with you when you say children need protection from assult and battery of course this is true. I am not talking about beating a child here. But i strongly disagree with your statement in regards of "Pro spankers tend to have no self-discipline, self-understanding or knowledge of child development. They merely rely on old habits and impulses. They use what their parents used. Hitting"
As a matter of fact i have 3 children of my own ,I hardly ever spank them because i just dont need to.They love and respect me for who i am their parent. I have also worked with children for 15 years.
And to this remark "They will say " I wasn't spanked and I turned out fine." I think this law is a wakeup call to uneducated, lazy parents." FYI my father never hit me once and well, here i am telling you about spanking...so there goes your theory...and being lazy??If you stop and think about it for a minute it takes more time to get up and spank then to sit and talk... : )

oops, the above statement is for you Laittree

Answer 1

The fine line between corporal punishment and abuse. A child receiving a small non-fatal, non-marking wallop on their behinds when they act out and test their social boundaries is by no means uncalled for or out of line; it's usually the last resort of loving caring parents who are at their wits ends with the little darlings. Consistency is key to helping a child understand the limits of their social boundaries. I never suffered any permanent damage from the smacks on the butt I received as an unruly and undisciplined child; if anything I am better for these infrequent and sparingly used punishments. I know if I steal something that does not belong to me I will go to jail [be punished].

The parents who think their little dears are simply "expressing themselves" as they destroy their (grandparent's, neighbor's, sibling's) homes while visiting (or talk back, hit, have tantrums until the parents cave in, or enter your annoying child behavior here) will also be the very same parents wondering why little "Jimmy or Janey" ran away and are living on the underbelly of society as teenagers or young adults.

Answer 2

There are way too many laws on the books that are truly ridiculous. I firmly believe that we do need laws to guide us and to discourage any wrong doings. SHOULD SPANKING BE MADE A LAW??? My answer to that, NO!
I think that today's children have way too much freedom, and rights. Parents do not need the government to tell them how to raise, and or disipline their children. Perhaps in some cases the law does need to step in where there is continued, and severe abuse. It is the parents job to raise the children properly. Kids now a days have no idea about respect, they are handed everything, and if they don't like the "rules", well I guess the other silly idea is to sue the parents. What has happened to our world?
We are all products of our environment. Perhaps some of the parents need better parenting skills, and need to displine the children more. It's not okay for kids to be full of anger, and disprespect, etc. If children have all these so called rights, then I suppose the only need for parents would be to have more children, and then let them live this so called free, life style.
I am over 50 years old. When I was young, I certainly had my share of spankings, and I don't feel that the spankings or my parents harmed me mentally at all for the rest of my life. It is the parents job to instill right and wrong into their children so when they are adults they will be able to do the same to their kids. By no means do I advocate abuse, but, I do feel that sometimes a spank on the butt could be an eye opener for the child, and hopefully the child will understand right is right, and wrong produces consequences, and that punishment could be a lot worse than a spanking. I can honeslty say that I have never had any bad reaction from my Mom, spanking me as she was the one who was the spanker,(lol)! Maybe anyone reading this may think I am wrong, but I do agree that all one has to do is look at our prisons, read the papers, kids are looking for guidance, and acting out only says that louder. There are many loving and hard working parents out there who only want the best for thier children, so I am 100% against the government having any law about this spanking, and it is the parents job to lead the kids down the right road, and a spanking never hurt me, probably made me a better kid. I thank my parents everyday for the way they raised me. So no law regarding spanking, there are far too many other things going on in the world that our government, and law makers need to worry about. Thanks for listenning! petsitter1

Answer 3

I don't think spanking should be against the law. Sometimes a quick slap on the hand when a child is reaching for something hot or dangerous is the best prevention from injury. I do know the law that is being considered is not allowing spanking for children under 3, but personally, we stopped spanking our kids at about age 6, so that only allows a short window for spanking (if the law is passed). I found spanking was very effective. We had a system. You received two warnings, then the third time you received spankings. We always spanked our kids in private (meaning not when others are around, even siblings). We always told them how many spankings they were getting. We always prayed together afterwards. Our kids knew what they got spankings for and why. Not that my kids are angels, but they certainly know right from wrong, and they show remorse when they do the wrong thing. As a parent, I'd call that pretty successful (so far, we have LONG way to go).

Answer 4

I think part of this is setting a norm standard for what spanking is. I got a good smack when I was bad as a kid, right before being sent to the corner. It was nothing at all substantial, just enough to smart. To some, spankings may entail repeated striking or in some cases done with instrumentation (such as a belt perhaps). Certainly, if we are talking about striking but not hard enough to bruise, then is this physically harming the child. Admittedly, there are some adults who were abused as children who seem to generalize their experiences to all forms of non-positive physical contact (which isn't to say everyone who is against spanking was abused), and they are most likely the most fervent voices in this argument, and few people have the guile to legally argue striking a child.
It's nice to say we want to further our psychological attempts at punishment, but depending on the child, he or she may not have the reasoning ability to connect psychological punishment to the actual act they are being punished for the way that physical means can.
So, to answer the headlining question, no, there should be no law against spanking. If anything, there should be further clarification and allowances on the side of the parent, and better clarification of the criteria of abuse so to allow the reasonable and non-damaging use of physical punishment with children.

Answer 5

Absolutely not. I have 3 boys and each of them have been spanked. When they first learned to grab stuff off the tables, I did not put it up out of their reach, I spanked their little hand and told them no. When I first heard the expression "time out" I had to ask what that was. When the boys were older and they got into trouble, I made them do push-ups and sit ups. We do not want abused children, of course, but kids cannot rule the adults. I "threatened" my son with spanking when he was 13. He said "That's child abuse" Give me a break. A swat on the butt is not child abuse. The people making these laws aren't there when the three year old is getting into everything and hitting the baby in the head with the rattle 'cuz they're jealous!

Answer 6

I think we need to stop outalwing and making laws about these types of scenarios. It is really a case by case thing.

I believe in spanking.

Everyone has been raised differently depending on the influences sorrounding the child, as well as the circumstances surrounding the family. Not to mention the lack or abundance of financial stability.

I will not say time out is a bad thing but it is not something that is efficient for all. Neither is spanking. I also believe that if a parent is not constant, (saying and doing) time out or otherwise it will not make an appropriate effect.

I think talking is a great solution, but just like in marriage, it cannot be done until both parties have calmed down. and talking alone will not resolve 100% of the indiscretion.

A combination of a few tactics, such as time out talking and spanking is helpful, and specially helpful if constant with the actions the parent vocalizes to take.

I also belive in the bible and I know that it has wisdom for every aspect in life. Instruct your child to read a proverb every day and it will not only form their minds but it will reflect in their actions eventually.

God bless you and guide you!

Answer 7

A pop on the bottom will not hurt a two-year-old (his diaper will absorb most of the blow anyway, but you'll get his attention). You cannot reason with a child that young because they don't understand...yet. My rule was keep it below the belt, use nothing but your hand, and keep it to a minimum.

I've observed too many parents trying to "reason" with their two- to four-year-olds like they were mini-adults. Doesn't work.

But when they get older, a spanking is not as meaningful as denying a privilege (TV, toys, etc.). We spent the time and did the work with our now 16-year-old daughter. Even when she was five, she could quietly sit through a wedding or a meal at a restaurant.

She got very few spankings, but to answer your question, no, there shouldn't be a law against it. The government has no right to tell us how to discipline our children and there are already laws that define abuse.

Answer 8

NO!! If we have no berings over our little ones, they will know that if we try to discipline, they will call the law on us and have us arrested! In California I heard they are passing a law that you cannot spank your kids if they are under 3 years old. That's crazy!
I think because we have SO MANY young mothers they don't have the knowledge of how to properly raise their children, they end up hitting out of anger or abusing or even killing their kids, b/c of those parents, and b/c of people that just abuse the shyt out of their kids, the good parents in America suffer for it.
Children need to see that us as parents have authority over them, and if they have the law on their side, that's really going to let the child know that they can do whatever they want and their parents can't do anything or they will get put in jail for child abuse. It's not fair!!!
These kids are going to grow up thinking they can get away with anything, is that what we want in the future adults? NOT ME!!!

Answer 9

I agree with you totally. I think that the government has taken the rights to correct our children. I was spanked as a child and I would agree that this is a last resort but it does work. Time out only works when the kid is a little out of control like telling a lie. The thought that a kid can look at you and say that I will call the police if you spank me is ridiculous.

Answer 10

Yes it is the parent's job to teach a child right from wrong. There has to be laws against abusing children. Some experts believe that spanking is abuse whether it is light, moderate or hard. Children need greater protection against assault and battery than any other class of citizen. Laws are here for a reason, not to intrude on families rights but to protect children. Children are the class of people who are most vulnerable to physical and psychological damage when hit and we need to protect them.

Pro spankers are failing to see the difference between discipline and punishment. They are not the same.
Discipline is loving, positive and instructive.
Punishment is negative and can be terribly destructive especially to a very young child.
Pro spankers are always fighting to be right and fail to see that not hitting a child doesn't mean not disciplining a child or setting limits.

Raising a child is the most difficult and demanding task that any of us will do.
Pro spankers tend to have no self-discipline, self-understanding or knowledge of child development. They merely rely on old habits and impulses. They use what their parents used. Hitting.
They would rather fight their belief that it is the only alternative to good behavior and fail to be motivated to learn and improve.
Why not make an informed decision on how to raise your children rather than default how your parent raised you?
Did you do your research on this? Do you fully understand child development?
Do your job right and find positive ways of discipline. Time out does work, you just have to be smart about it. I never spank my children and that doesn't mean no discipline. Time out works very well. We get so many compliments on our children's behavior. I respect my children and know they won't go on to hit their kids. They will say " I wasn't spanked and I turned out fine." I think this law is a wakeup call to uneducated, lazy parents.


Again, do you really understand child development? I am surprised you think spanking is okay since your father didn't spank. Babysitting children for 15 years sounds like what you did. I bet a million bucks you didn't go to college and study early childhood development. Babysitting doesn't qualify as a professional which you aren't. Do a little more research! It takes alot more mental brain work to develop alternatives to spanking.