Opinions on spanking children?

[eliza61]

My kids were spanked. Not "go get a switch" but smack on the backside.

So far no psychological damage, no Oprah interviews, No worst mother in the world accusations, all doing well in college. LOL. time outs were a joke to my kids and just didn't work for me.

No regrets.

 

[DonDraper]

Why do you think it is that so many mothers who were spanked choose not to spank their own children? How do you feel about the 68% of those who were spanked feeling it was undeserved?

http://www.babycenter.com/spanking Quote:
-81 percent of moms were spanked as children
-Today, only 49 percent of moms say they use spanking to discipline their children
-Moms today are 39 percent less likely to use spanking than their mother
-68 percent said that when they were spanked, they felt it was undeserved
-44 percent said they were spanked out of anger or frustration

That is a worthless survey.

1) 1,300 moms is a small sample size.
2) They don't include stay at home fathers or fathers in general
3) They don't include the methodology of their survey
4) They don't include margin of error

Worthless.

 

[Freyja]

That is a worthless survey.

1) 1,300 moms is a small sample size.
2) They don't include stay at home fathers or fathers in general
3) They don't include the methodology of their survey
4) They don't include margin of error

Worthless.

Check out these articles on the effects of spanking:
"Study: Spanking may lead to sexual problems later"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-27-spanking_N.htm

"The long term effects of spanking". http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983895,00.html

"Do spanked kids have lower IQ´s?"
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1926222,00.html

 

[DonDraper]

Check out these articles on the effects of spanking:
"Study: Spanking may lead to sexual problems later"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-27-spanking_N.htm

But linking sexual problems with spanking is a "big leap," says human-sexuality researcher John DeLamater of the University of Wisconsin. "It's probably one of many elements that might contribute to sex problems or risky sex, but it's a long leap."

"The long term effects of spanking". http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983895,00.html

"The odds of a child being more aggressive at age 5 increased by 50% if he had been spanked more than twice in the month before the study began," says Taylor.

I never said I endorse "frequent" spanking. I said it can be used effectively in situations that warrant it. These are the same sentiments that others like Firedancer have shared. More than twice a month reduces the effectiveness of spanking and simply instills fear in a child so I agree with that part.

"Do spanked kids have lower IQ´s?"
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1926222,00.html

Still, it's not clear if spanking causes lower cognitive ability or if lower cognitive ability might somehow lead to more spanking. It's quite possible that kids with poor reasoning skills misbehave more often and therefore elicit harsher punishment.

One problem with Straus' data is that some of the parents who tended to spank may also have been engaging in actual physical abuse of their children. Researchers define corporal punishment as physical force intended to cause pain — but not injury — for the purpose of correcting a child's behavior, not simply hurting him. Studies have shown that very few parents who use corporal punishment also beat their kids, but Straus can't rule out the possibility that his data are confounded by the presence of child abuse, which past research has shown to affect victims' development.

 

[bicker]

The United States is an individualistic society, not collectivist.

Just like societies that are severely collectivist are realizing that extremes are typically the wrong approach, so should societies that are severely individualistic. The short-sightedness of "me mine I" has been significant discredited in the minds of many, and contending that that's "the way America is" is not a defense for it, but rather something that highlights the need for change. Self-centeredness is not a virtue.

And by the way, I'm American. Natural born.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

It doesn't get anything accomplished, while talking firmly with a misbehaving child does.

 

[bicker]

The point isn't whether or not the country is too far-gone to return to a defensible path, or not (let's agree to disagree about that), but rather whether the path itself is defensible or not. About that you and I appear to agree.