Spanking, a controversial subject among doctors and parents

March 20, 12:32 AMPhoenix Children's ExaminerBridget Burress

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 To spank or not to spank?

Lately there has been a lot of chatter going on about the Report on Physical Punishment, written by Elizabeth Gershoff. There seems to be three different types of parents out there with regards to spanking and using physical force by means of punishment. The first type of parent are those who absolutely condone spanking and find it very effective. The second, are those parents who use spanking in moderation and with strict guidelines and limitations. And finally, the third are those parents who do not support spanking or any other kind of physical force whatsoever, and consider it to be borderline abuse.

In the beginning of the report, Gershoff defines physical punishment as the use of physical force with the intention of causing the child to experience bodily pain or discomfort as to correct or punish the child’s behavior. According to several recent studies as stated in the article, the majority of parents in the United States continue to physically punish their children and nearly two-thirds of parents of very young children (1- and 2-year-olds) reported using physical punishment.

The report continues on to say that physical punishment is most likely to be used by parents when they report being frustrated or aggravated with their children on a regular basis. Gershoff also states that contrary to parents' goals when using it, the more parents use physical punishment, the more disobedient and aggressive their children will be and the frequency or severity with which children experienced physical punishment was associated with increased mental health problems in children in every study.

After thoroughly reading Gershoffs article I find myself taking a step back and asking myself, where do I stand as a parent when it comes to spanking my child? At the end of the day I believe it comes down to one question, to spank or not to spank? I would love any feedback or comments you might have whether you are in favor or against spanking and physical punishment.

For more info:  Read the entire Report on Physical Punishment in the United States 

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