I think that spankings are not only a good means of discipline, but they are vital to asserting to children that parents are the boss. Let’s be honest, at some point every kid is going to try their parents just to see how far they can go, and it’s up to the parent to bring them back to reality and I think spankings are the only way kids will truly learn the lesson that the parent is attempting to teach. The naysayers that would have you believe that a spanking is the same thing as abuse, are incorrect. Abuse is when you take the spanking too far, or you attempt to purposely cause physical harm to your child. A spanking is simply a punishment, it’s not pleasant for either party involved, but they are absolutely necessary for a parent to have control in the parent- child relationship. Yes it is painful, but punishments have to be painful in order for them to actually work. In order for the spanking to be effective it must be painful enough that your child wants to avoid them. There are a lot of unpleasant things parents must do to ensure their child is a safe well adjusted kid.
For example kids must get shots, which are painful, and uncomfortable but they are necessary that your child gets them, and spankings are no different if your child steps over boundaries it’s crucial that parents bring them back to reality. Because without boundaries there would be no respect for the authority you possess as the parent. Spankings are needed when children make a blatant attempt to challenge this authority. With this type of offense and intensity an emotional punishment is required and the benefit of spankings are its duration, and its intensity.
A study entailing 2,600 interviews pertaining to corporal punishment, including the questioning of 179 teenagers about getting spanked and smacked by their parents, was conducted by Marjorie Gunnoe, Professor of Psychology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Gunroe’s findings showed that those who made claims against spankings didn’t hold up because their point was inconsistent with the data. Those who were physically disciplined performed better than those who weren’t in a whole series of categories, including school grades, an optimistic outlook on life, the willingness to perform volunteer work, and the ambition to attend college and they performed no worse than those who weren’t spanked in areas like early sexual activity, getting into fights, and becoming depressed. She found little difference between the sexes or races. Another study published in the Akron Law Review last year examined criminal records and found that children raised where a legal ban on parental corporal punishment is in effect are much more likely to be involved in crime.
I think it is clear to see that the use of spankings are not only effective but are necessary in order to properly rear any child. Even the Bible says, “Spare the rod, and spoil the child.” This means that spankings can and will continue to be a very effective tool for parents.