Over time, the issue of whether or not to spank children has become largely debatable and though some states as well as countries have made spanking illegal, some still argue that outlawing spanking would deal a major blow to the issue of discipline amongst our children. In this text, I concern myself with the arguments for and arguments against making spanking illegal.
An overview
By definition, spanking is a corporal punishment form which is in most cases used as a sanction against those who have erred. It is however in most cases applied against teenagers, children or toddlers for the sole purpose of instilling discipline. In most scenarios, spanking is applied on the buttocks of an offender with an open hand or cane though recently, spanking as a term has come to be used to denote any form of physical punishment designed to cause pain especially towards a teenager, child or toddler.
According to Council of Europe (2005), previous generations have used spanking as a way to enhance the discipline of children and at some point; people did not foresee the possibility of discipline amongst children without spanking.However, as already noted in the introductory, paragraph, countries and states are increasingly debating the possibilities of making spanking illegal, either in the home setting or at school. However, while some support the idea of outlawing spanking, they still appreciate its relevance as far as the maintenance of discipline is concerned more so in the home setting.
Why spanking should be made illegal
According to Kalat (2010), spanking irregardless of the setting and circumstances exposes kids to instances of abuse. In his own words, “spanking is also a form of domestic violence and the saddest part is that it happens to children, who are the most vulnerable of all.” The argument here is that in both the school as well as home setting, some adults may fail to properly exercise proper judgment and hence inflict pain that is largely inconsistent with the mistake for which punishment is being sought.
Another school of thought argues that an adults mental instability (temporal or permanent) may also inhibit their sense of reason and hence expose the child to inappropriate punishment as far as spanking is concerned. It is important to note that in the light of such arguments, states like Massachusetts have at some point considered coming up with proposals that would go a long way to outlaw spanking be it from a parent or a teacher in the school setting.It is also equally important to note that over time, studies of human beings as well as animals have indicated that corporal punishment (of which spanking is) is not as effective as some of us would like to believe.
Indeed, according to the Council of Europe (2005), psychologists have proven that positive reinforcement is actually more effective than corporal punishment as far as the enhancement of discipline as well as influencing behavior is concerned. This argument is founded on the fact that spanking does not act on the conscience of an individuals and therefore, it can in fact lead to the creation of a sense of resentment and anger in which case people or children exposed to the same become more ‘hardened’ or worse than they were before.In the light of the arguments above, spanking does not serve to make the individual it is being advanced to better. However, as it shall be seen below, there are still dissenting views in that some argue against outlawing spanking.
Dissenting views
When lawmakers in Massachusetts displayed their willingness to discuss a presentation that would have seen spanking made illegal in the school and home setting, one parent was quoted saying, “this is a classical case of a government gone mad.” This is perhaps one of the statements that capture the acrimony between those who are keen to make spanking illegal and those who are inclined towards maintaining the status quo.According to Loseke (2005), spanking is a method of child rearing which has been tested and tried over time as can be captured by the saying “spare the rod, spoil the child.”
This is a school of thought that is of the opinion that spanking serves two major functions, that is, as a deterrent and as a sanction in regard to a given offense. Indeed, many individuals, including yours truly, are of the opinion that occasional spanking might have helped them be better individuals.Further, there are those who argue that the social systems in place are not adequate to guarantee a good upbringing without punishment. This is to say that other forms of discipline may not be effective in the long-term.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note thaw heather or not to make spanking illegal shall continue to be a contentious issue going forward. However, the only way to resolve such a hotly contested issue is to draw a line between what constitutes appropriate discipline and what does not as far as spanking is concerned. The bottom-line however remains that by making spanking illegal, this shall take away the power of parents to bring up children in a way seen to be proper.
References
Loseke, D.R. (2005). Current controversies on family violence. SAGE
Kalat, J.W. (2010). Introduction to Psychology. Cengage Learning
Council of Europe, (2005). Eliminating corporal punishment: a human rights imperative for Europe’s children. Council of Europe
