When Does Discipline Cross the Line to Child Abuse

When Does Discipline Cross the Line to Child Abuse? In this report, I concentrated my research on the fine line between physical discipline and child abuse, with emphasis on spanking vs. not spanking and its effects on children. Included are research from statistics, opposing views and arguments, advocates’ and Department of Children and Families’ position. The use of corporal punishment, or spanking, as a form of parental discipline is a controversial topic. Adults who remember being spanking by a parent for misbehaving may carry on this behavior as an acceptable form of punishment for their own children. Others believe spanking to be an outdated punishment that is cruel and can cross the line to physical abuse. 2010 NATIONAL ABUSE†¦show more content†¦Opponents of Physical Discipline Opponents of spanking believe the practice indicates a loss of parental control and is never necessary. Some even believe spanking or corporal punishment can lead to an increase in violence and result in child abuse. From this point of view, a child’s self-esteem may suffer owing to the humiliation of the spanking and, in addition to possibly losing respect for a parent who spanks; the child will merely avoid situations or behaviors that result in punishment without grasping the concept of right and wrong. Many family advocacy groups, psychologists, and health professionals that I had researched, consider spanking to be inappropriate and recommend against its use. The following list reinforces the argument against using spanking as a form of punishment. †¢ Hitting children teaches them to hit. Research is available to support a link between corporal punishment in childhood and aggressive behavior in teenage and adult years. (www.naturalchild.org) †¢ This type of punishment distracts the child from learning how to resolve conflict effectively and humanely. In the words of educator John Holt: â€Å"When we make a child afraid, we stop learning dead in its tracks.† ( www.naturalchild.org) †¢ Corporal punishment interferes with the parent-child bond, as it is not human nature to feel loving toward someone who hurts us.( www.cuteparents.net) †¢ Spanking on the buttocks, an erogenous zone in childhood, canShow MoreRelatedPhysical Discipline with Children1100 Words   |  4 PagesSpanking a child is not against the law in most places. However, parents who use it in their homes are being accused of child abuse. The Chicago Tribune published an article that urged readers to report child abuse when they become aware of it. In the article â€Å"Child abuse in plain View† the author describes spanking as a type of abuse that happens behind closed doors (â€Å"Child abuse in plain View†). Like most critics of corporal punishment, the author is trying to link spanking to abuse. 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