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November 2007 Survey
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Teens Report on Attitudes Towards Spankingby: Molly Phillips, 15, and Jay Dickinson, 15, Children's ExpressBecause of the sensitive nature of spanking, the names of the children in this story have been changed. Annie, 11, of Marquette, Mich., remembers being spanked as a toddler. "Sometimes I would do the weirdest things and I would get in trouble," she said. "But I don't think (spanking) had an effect on me. I didn't learn from it very well. I just felt like I was a bad person."
In the past, spanking was more common. Surveys show that over 90 percent of parents spanked their children in the 1930's. "I think that it was normal then," said Brianna, 9, of Ishpeming, "but now parents understand that it doesn't (always) work." A Shift in Discipline? "I think, in general, society has really moved away from spanking," he said. "I think in some respects, society has learned more effective means of disciplining kids. (But) there are still people out there that we run into that are very strong believers in corporal punishment. There's a divergent opinion, it seems to me." A recent survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows differing opinions on the part of pediatricians. The academy officially opposes spanking, but members' responses to the survey show that opinions could not be summed up as simply "for" or "against" spanking. Of 603 pediatricians, about half said they generally oppose the use of spanking by parents, but an occasional spanking under certain circumstances can be an effective form of discipline. Almost a third completely oppose the use of spanking by parents under any circumstances. And about 14 percent support its limited use. As the popularity of spanking decreases, parents are finding other methods of disciplining children. A survey of U.S. parents done by Ontario Consultants showed a decline in the use of spanking as the main disciplinary method. It dropped from 59 percent in 1962 to 19 percent in 1993. The survey showed that 38 percent of parents prefer using time-outs and 24 percent prefer lecturing. Morin thinks that using time-outs is an effective alternative. "If the child won't go into time-out, it's suggested that you sit there and hold the child in a firm but loving manner," he said. Karen, 13, of Marquette, thinks forms of discipline such as grounding and taking away privileges such as computer or TV time are more effective than spanking. "I would definitely not spank my child," she said. "I think it is wrong and there are definitely other ways to have the same impact as spanking them." Morin points out the difference between spanking and child abuse. "The law," said Morin, "draws the line in terms of whether or not an injury occurs. It's not illegal to use spanking." What's illegal, he said, is going to excess. "We highly would discourage using any type of object on a child other than an open hand. We would also expect that parents, if they're going to spank, would do it in a fashion where it's only one or two mild slaps on the child's rear end; the reason being more to enforce that the parent is in charge rather than to inflict pain on the child." Getting spanked could cause a child to be fearful of the spanker, said Brianna. Whenever a parent yells at a child, the child might fear being hit. "If I ever have to yell at my child, I don't want them to be scared of me because I want to be able to help them through life and don't want them to be scared to ask anything," she said. "Just as anybody wouldn't like being hit by another person," said Morin, "I don't think a child is feeling that good about being hit by an older, larger person either. I think it makes them feel somewhat powerless." Morin said that spanking can be effective but should only be used as a last resort. "What a parent should do is reserve it for situations where a child is being willfully disobedient," he said. "They suggest you should use it only for younger kids from about 2 to 6, because kids in that age range have difficulty really having a good control of and a good understanding of cause and effect. "My own personal experience is that it can be effective in correcting behavior very short-term. In terms of the long-term damage to a child from a spanking, that's hard to say. I think there's a lot of generations of Americans that have grown up with getting spanked, and I don't think they're worse for wear from it." Molly Phillips, 15, and Jay Dickinson, 15, are writers for the Children's Express Upper Peninsula Bureau. |
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Drs. T. Berry Brazelton, Penelope Leach, and Benjamin Spock, probably the most influential child psychologists and pediatricians in recent times, have opposed spanking. So do the American Psychological Association and the National Association of Social Workers. Even though many experts are against spanking, this form of discipline is still in use.