Should America outlaw spanking our children?

Question

This seems to be a new question for debate in a political correct society what do you think?

Answer 1

Discipline is a form of training. As long as spanking is used for correction, I see no problem with it.

However, when spanking is taken to extreme, and the spanker fails to give clear direction and reason for the spank, then it looses it's effectiveness.

Today the world offers so many ways for children to go. Without clear direction, our children will make many mistakes, and some of them too costly to enumerate. Taking away the ability to correct and discipline our children will only lead to more trouble down the road.

Doctor Spock (not the Vulcan), said 'we should not spank our children'. The result of that great experiment (back in the 70's) has produced a generation of trouble. Not everyone followed his advice (adults), nor has everyone (children) suffered ill effects from such a dogma, however, to a large degree, the generation that was produced were delinquent juveniles.

Spanking always got my attention, and my Four children (all of whom had spankings) turned out quite well. If you were to ask them, they would tell you 'it was hell, but worth it'.

Don't take away spanking. Just prevent abuse.

Answer 2

I do think they need to do a better job of protecting children. NO, I am definitely not saying somebody should be thrown in prison for swatting their child on the behind. I don't think an open-handed smack on the bottom should be illegal. However, the US does have the highest rate of child abuse out of all of the developed nations, and people seem to get away with a lot worse than a swat. I hear about children who end up dying at the hands of their abusive parents. And it will mention that these parents were whipping the kid with a belt up until that point. And, Child Protective Services never did anything about it. It SHOULD be illegal to strike a child with any sort of object like a belt, and anyone who actually leaves bruising or marks on their child should be dealt with.immediately. Take the kids away and don't give them back unless the parent gets anger management, takes parenting classes, and can prove that they won't continue to abuse their child.

Answer 3

The rationale behind outlawing spanking is based on this concept: It's illegal for one adult to hit another adult. (bar fight situation) It's also illegal for an adult to hit a minor. (Someone over 18 hitting a person under 18, like two seniors in high school getting into a fight, one is 18 the other is 17. The one who is 18 goes to jail.) So, it's only logical that spanking your children be illegal, too.

Seems logical in a strech kind of way. The problem with this kind of legislation is, where does it end? What will they outlaw next? Will leaving your child in a wet diaper too long be considered abuse? How about letting your child watch too much TV or not enough? Will not allowing your child to have dessert if they don't eat their green beans be considered mental abuse?
I know all this seems funny, but it's a serious concern. There has to be a limit. It's not just spanking on trial here. It's the right of the American parent to parent their own children.

I think spanking situations should be handled on a case by case basis. If the state has a concern that a parent is taking spanking too far, then it should intervene. This whole, no-spanking-period thing is insulting. If you can get all child experts and doctors to agree that spanking does nothing whatsoever to help a child learn, then outlaw it. Until then, let me make the decision for myself.

Answer 4

First, I am not sure you have the info correct. I don't know about all countries in Europe but I do know through experience that in England,Scotland and France, some people spank their kids. Second, one reason people believe American kids aren't productive and athletic is that it is usually only the "bad" kids that the media likes to report about. There are far more kids doing the right thing than doing the wrong thing. Further, what makes you think Europe is way ahead in terms of health, science and technology? Anytime a high ranking official from another country has major health problems, where are they sent? America. That is because America has some of the best technology and science in the world. You're right about the U.S. not being one of the healthiest-they don't even make the top 10-but what does that have to do with spanking? BTW, I do not advocate spanking. I didn't do it and feel it is demeaning to the child. I just don't know how your arguments are the effects of spanking.

Answer 5

I saw something about this on the news......and I must say, it's one of the stupidest ideas I've heard of in a while! I'm sick of all the little spoiled *** kids running around these days with no discipline, and no respect for anyone or anything.
If you can't spank a child, then the kids will have nothing to fear in terms of discipline....just a verbal lashing.
Yeah right, when I was a kid, if all I had keeping me in the way of doing something stupid was getting yelled at, I would have never learned between good and bad.
The whole idea of outlawing spanking just pisses me off!

Answer 6

All humans are protected by the International Bill of Human Rights. Provided a child's rights are not violated, the parent should be allowed to do whatever they want.

The best answer, however, would have to come from people who study the effects of spanking. If they do conclude that spanking never results in a positive outcome (which is almost impossible to prove), then spanking should be outlawed.

If an adult committed a crime they are sent to jail, never beaten in the US (one would think anyways). Except for the death penalty (which is also debatable).

Personally, I would hate to spank children.

Answer 7

How we discipline/parent our children is not the governments business. Outlawing it would be ridiculous- how would they even enforce that in the home? If they outlaw it, do you have any idea how many spiteful children who stay out past curfew will be reporting their parents for spaking them? That may sound radical, but stranger things have happened. There is a big difference between beating a child and giving them a spank to get their attention and drive home the fact that what they've done is wrong. There are so many whiney brats out there now, becoming bigger terrors with every new group of them that NEED to be spanked! And to hear it referred to as "corporal punishment" sickens me. Unfortunately I live in MA so it will probably pass in this liberal loon state.

Answer 8

I don't think outlawing it would really make that much of an impact.

I think that talking about it, getting parents to really think about it, though, is a good thing.

In most debates that you see here online the usual reasons that people give for choosing to spank are:

- My parents did it & I turned out fine, so I'm going to do it too.

I love my parents, I really do. But, this is *my* life & I'm not making them responsible for my decisions. I choose how I'm going to live my life, based on the ideas & experiences that I have had.

Also... My parents didn't spank & we all turned out great, too.


- Timeouts don't work.

I wish that people knew that there were better ways to raise & teach their children besides simply training them with 'timeout', 'spanking' or some other contrived punishment & hoping that they figure out why one choice gets a punishment & another doesn't - why one thing is 'right' and another is 'wrong'.


- Along with this line of reasoning is the assertion that is often made that children who are not spanked are not disciplined at all.

It's this line of reasoning that makes me think that open debate regarding parenting methods might be just the thing that some people need. It seems like it's possible, from these type of responses, that there are actually parents out there who believe that spanking is their only choice in bringing up their children.



- Look at the way society is falling apart. It's completely due to the fact that people are spanking less.

This is just a shaky correlation based on unsupported opinions. What we need, I suppose, is a scale that measures, accurately, how parenting has changed over the years (with some kind of time machine that brings us back to survey actual parents regarding their methods) and another scale that shows that society is actually any worse (not just different & packed with more effective media & communication methods). Along with this, we would need an accurate survey of how parents are actually parenting these days. This survey would have to take into account not only 'spanking' or 'not spanking', but 'spanking along with instruction', 'not spanking, but actively guiding', 'neglecting altogether', etc.

Answer 9

I think it should be acceptable to swat your kids butt in the middle of Walmart when they are climbing on the displays. I think that a large part of what is wrong in America today is the fact that spanking a child is seen as some form of abuse. I admit that beating your child with an extension cord or a belt till they have bloodied bruises is indeed child abuse. Paddling your little darlings backside with your hand one or two times because they just threw food at their brother after you told them not to is in my opinion highly acceptable. Think about it, in your parents or grandparents day what happened to them if they misbehaved, I guarantee it wasn't a frickin time out, or a gentle no no Johnny we don't do that. They got a good old fashioned butt whoopin. I think that kids nowadays wouldn't be so prone to go to school and kill each other, runaway from home, and just generally misbehave if we could all band together and say hey its my right to discipline my child, and then do it. I know my mom didn't hesitate to bust my butt if I got out of line. Just look at the crime rate for youths 50 years ago and compare them with today, things have gotten out of hand. I really don't see how these child development experts can say that spanking your child is teaching your child that violence is ok, NOOOO aparently not spanking your child is telling them that they can do whatever they want and there will be no consequences. I think a spanking teaches kids, hey maybe I shouldn't do that or I'll get punished and I don't want to be punished. Obviously sending them to their rooms isn't working, come on thats where all their good stuff is anyways. So lets all stop trying to be our kids friends and be parents, disipline your kid, I guarentee they will thank you for it when they get older and have little darlings of their own who are in need of a little booty swat.

Answer 10

I truely believe there is nothing wrong with spanking a child. As long as it doesn't turn in to abuse. I believe the children who never got spankings are the ones out shooting people, and and not thinking there will be any punishment for it. Just think bac, back in the day they didn't have as much violence, or disrespect. That's back when spanking was acceptable, and it was also allowed in schools. Children need to be disaplined, not just told no and set in a corner.