Essay on Corporal punishment

Submitted By cmunger
Words: 533
Pages: 3

Respect vs. Discipline

Parenting doesn't come with a manual. When it comes to disciplining a child every parent has a different belief of what is proper and unproper. In many cultures spanking a child when misbehaving is socially acceptable but over the years, this kind of treatment is looked down upon, almost as a form of abuse. Those who were spanked as a child will more than likely grow up to spank their children according to statistics. This cycle of punishment must change in order to save children from mistreatment, not only physically but also psychologically. Spanking a child is meant to do one thing, to inflict pain, so the child will not misbehave again. The negative consequence is suppose to repell the child into kinder acts of obedience. However, this form of teaching is not always best. Children at a young age learn attitudes and behavior through observation and imitation of their parents' actions whether good or ill. Physical punishment gives the message that hitting is an appropriate way to express feelings and solve problems. A child that recieves corpral punishment has not been given the tools to solve problems in a calm, controlled, humane way. Thus it is the responsibility of the parents to set the example for the children to follow. In many cases "bad behavior" is simply a response of a child whos basic needs are being neglected. The child is responding in the only way they know how based on age and experience. Among these needs are: proper sleep and nutrition, exercise, sibling jealousy, but most importantly his parents' undivided attention. In these busy times, few chilldren recieve sufficient time and attention from their parents, who are often to distracted by their own problems and worries to treat their children with patience and love. For this reason, punishment is not only ineffective but also unjust. The true spirit of cooperation which every parent desires can arise only through a strong bond based on mutual love and respect. When a parent phyically harms their child a natual sense of fear ruins this bond between them. Anger and frustration which can not