Hitting children?

Question

I think this has a terrible effect on a child's self esteem, I believe children who are harmed by their parents often compare themselves, unfavorably, to children who's parents do not physically abuse them. In my experience parents who claim it never did them any harm have problems of their own as a consequence, but fail to recognise them

Discipline is essential, however I still maintain it is more effective not to physically harm a child to teach them, they are more likely to respect you if you are reasonable and consequently more likely to take on board what you say as oppose to rebelion

Answer 1

i watched my little bro cop it for years... he is 20 and has been in jail since 14... yes it does affect them.

Answer 2

The very word "hitting" children conjures all sorts of images!
There have been many generations of people who grew up to be perfectly normal, respectable members of society, that had their butts spanked.
Too many people today try to reason with, and rationalize punishment with cruelty.
I can not see where sending a child to the corner to look at the wall (time out) is going to change the child's thinking on biting his sister. Not that spanking does either.
But then I am sure that, like with all things,some parents get completely carried away with it.
Moderation in anything.....Just my opinion.
I went to a Catholic school and I can not tell you how many times the Nun's cracked my knuckles with the ruler.

Answer 3

i cannot speak for everyone but I received a few spankings as a child and by spankings I mean a few swats on my behind for disobeying my mother as a child. I turned out fine. I knew then that my mother spanked me not because she didn't love me but because she did. it wasn't often and never have I compared myself to children whose parents didn't spank them. I see the difference between the generation of children who were raised before the age of no spankings. The children today are way more violent and angry then those of us who were spanked therefore I do not believe that spanking your child will make them violent. Now I want to reinterate that I am not speaking of those parents who beat their children with switches, belts or things of that nature. I am speaking of swats on the bottom, or taps on the hand for doing things like playing with the fire on the stove. There is a fine line between chastising and abuse. If you think that what I am saying is incorrect go around and ask 100 people over the age of 30 about being spanked and then ask children today. Think about this. how often had you heard of children shotting up schools, beating, teachers, vandalizing property or anything of that nature prior to the 90's and how often do you here about violence today. There are way more instances of violence now then when parents chastised their children without the fear of people calling them bad parents because their child got out of hand and they swatted them on the butt. I have swatted my children on the bottoms and they are absolutely fine. They are well behaved and excellent students. I have 5 children and everyone of them gets compliments from their teachers and others about how well behaved they are. I also have friends who have never chastised their children and most of them are out of control, rude, and not doing very well in school. By the way there is nothing wrong with my self esteem, I have never been in any trouble and I love and am grateful to my parents for the way they raised me. My mother is one of 5 children and none of my aunts, uncles, or cousins have ever been in prison, we are all high school graduates, home owners, and productive members of society. And everyone of us have been spanked.

Answer 4

Children should never be hit, light spanking for young children is ok. It does effect self esteem and may pass down on their kids, but not always the case.

Answer 5

its true i think that just bcause a child does or does not do something wrong their parents abuse them physically. some parents abuse their child bcause of their anger and stress others abuse them bcause maybe they dont want the child anymore. I read a story in the newspapers it said that a angry father came home picked up his son and started hiting his sons head on the wall until the poor child got P.H.D(permanent head damage) its just simply awful.oh ya and a day or two later that child died and the dad was sent to prison. some of us are lucky that our parents nvr did that to us.

Answer 6

Are we talking a light smack on the bum or a punch in the face? There is a difference. Of course abuse is never acceptable and has long term affects both on the child and the parent.

A light smack on the bum to get a point across to a child is different.

Answer 7

i dont beleive in slapping kids. but i do beleive a good spanking never hurt anyone. just maybe a couple of swats to the butt to get ur point across. but most of the time that isnt even needed. depending on thier age sometimes an appropriate punishment is enough.

Answer 8

Hitting is a quick easy way to make them listen to you.
But in life the quick and easy way is never the best way, once children are accustomed to being hit all the time it's near impossible to get them to do what you want them to do without threatening them. I know these two children who used to be abused by their father. I tell my niece I love her and she doesn't understand what I mean by that, she tells me not to say it because it's weird. and she never listens to a thing I say. I remember one time her little brother came back from visiting his father and all he wanted all day was hugs from people, he's 4.

Answer 9

Just as there is a thin line between love and hate.....this is another area of a thin line between hitting with a metal rod or being spanked. We all have our breaking point as to what is what...a good ole fashioned 'spanking' not beating did me a world of good. My Mother used an apple switch / my Dad a few waps on my butt. Dad was more effective than Mom. It hurt me so to displease my Father but Mom? We used to see how many buttons we could put before that apple switch came out.....lol I think my Mom was wrong and my Dad was right.

Answer 10

I was hit badly as a child, I now have a family, some people say that abused kids will be abusive parents, well I'm here to say NOT TRUE ! There is NO HITTING allowed in this house........

THE BUCK STOPS HERE ! ! !

Answer 11

I don't believe in hitting children either. It only teaches them violence. Instead, I suspend favored privileges from my children as a means of discipline.