Corporal Punishment: Good or Bad?

[TechnoDoomedOne]

IMO, not the best method, but it is still useful.

But there are better methods to control a douchebag child by fear. You just need to be psychological and threaten them with what they most value, like "if you don't obey I'll rip your toy apart".

 

To those who find this whole "discipline" a bad thing:

Children need to expierence by themselves, and those who do not obey, will find by themselves the consequences in any other way. But sometimes those consequences can be even worse for the children than the punishment you threaten to put in them if they disobey.

 

If someone does not know what could those consequences be, like a child, you must protect him.

Furthermore, we all know little children only learn trough positive and negative emotions.

 

So, yet not the best, and already said twice by King of Yesonia, though love is sometimes required.

[Luna Lovegood]

lol torture

 

'I don't know!!!'

 

'YES YOU DO' (uses torture)

 

'I STILL DONT KNOW'

 

'YES YOU DO'

 

lol

[Tentacruel]

Coproral Punishment is a good thing, unless abused. Child abuse is doing things that will permanently harm children.

 

Go ahead and flame/troll/hate me, I really don't care.

[Hydra of Ages]

I'm seeing a strange line of logic here. Namely "Immediate Benefit = It works!".

 

Also the idea that all obnoxious kids who yell in public were never given corporal punishment, even if there's no evidence there wasn't. Regardless of your stance on the topic, exactly how many adults are going to, in a public area where pretty much everyone is now focusing on them, lay a hand on their child? A simple fact is that having witnesses makes most people uncomfortable, especially when corporal punishment is looked down upon. Just because a kid is screaming doesn't automatically mean he's never been spanked, it just means he's not being spanked at the moment.

 

Spanking is lazy at best. It teaches the kid not to do something, surely- but it doesn't tell them why not to do it. Because they'll get hurt? That just means when they do it again, later in life, without a parent nearby, they'll discover it indeed does not always hurt.

 

On an off note, I love how everyone likes going on these little tangents about their own upbringing, and comparing themselves to others. It's hardly admissible testimony, is what I'm saying; we've got no way to confirm what you're saying, aside from taking your word that you aren't exaggerating or making logical fallacies in your assumptions. For the record, I didn't have corporal punishment as a child, and I think I ended up pretty good. Please don't tell me I'm an 'exception' unless you have some scientific data proving that people without corporal punishment are usually asses, please.

[Dark]

Wow, that pretty much sums up my opinion on this whole matter. D':

 

I'd like to take personal note to the third paragraph, as that eliminates the allusion to the hot stove and touching it. Since if you touch a hot stove, it will ALWAYS hurt. Unless you wear gloves.

[evilfusion]

I actually received grounding as punishment mostly, although spanking when I was younger occurred occasionally, but never seriously. I do not believe corporal punishment is truly effective. It teaches evasion of threats (no parent around) when committing a wrongdoing, not that the wrongdoing itself is wrong. It also imprints fear of violence for minor offenses, for you will associate near every wrongdoing with threat of pain, whereas proper punishment should teach you that privileges can be revoked at the will of another if they don't like what you're doing.

 

The fear of privilege loss and scolding is extremely effective in my experience, for even to this day, I will balance the threat of possible punishments (none posing risk to my health) vs my desire at the time. I don't fear violence from authority figures, but rather consequences that their authority permits them to dish out. Job termination, privilege revoking, or what have you. Even if the risk of being punished is low, I will still be wary of doing something wrong.

 

There is, however, evidence that people who are struck are more aggresive. It is instinct that the threat of violence triggers aggression. Fear is linked to aggression. If you fear that someone will attack you, you are going to be high-strung and likely aggressive in return.

[King of Yesonia]

Young children should recieve Corporal Punishment only when something serious is committed. You don't ground a 5 year old, or send them to their room. They don't care if you take away their things, because they aren't as materialistic as pre-teens and teens. Teenagers rely on the computer, cell phone, T.V., video games, etc. My parent's ground me if I do something wrong now, because I'm much more materialistic. They take away everything that is entertaining to me. I cannot live, breath, stand without television.

[Flinsbon]

I say if it doesn't work the first time, smacking/beating your kid will never work.

 

I got slapped once when I was little and have never done anything bad again. I never get in trouble at school, take honors and AP courses and get all A's, and I absolutely refuse to curse. I use "frick", "frickin", "friggin", "crud", "darn it", "jerk", etc. However, I did throw my shoe at my sister one time at point blank range...

 

...with permission from my mom (no joke, it happened).

 

On the other hand, my parents have slapped my sister so many times I can't remember them all and she is spoiled, whiny, and violent. She throws things at my mom because my mom snores and my sisters can't stand it.

 

Also, my uncle was really bad when he was little. He was slapped, spanked, beaten, and had stuff thrown at him hundreds of times and it never helped. It's a wonder he doesn't have PTSD. My grandmom used to throw things at him from across the house because she was cooking and couldn't leave the kitchen. If my uncle was being bad she would do one of three things.

 

1. Take off her shoe and chuck it at him.

 

2. Open the drawer in front of her, take out a wooden spoon and throw it at him.

 

3. Grab the nearest knife and wing it at him.

 

My grandmom lost a lot of good spoons that way, but honestly, it never worked. My uncle still curses out my grandparents when he gets mad at them. His favorite line: "You're an ***!"

 

Therefore, corporal punishment is okay...once. If it doesn't work the first time, it's not gonna work. Ever.

[Dictator7]

Extremely effective. I'm respectful to everybody and and I will always help others. I am still very afraid of both of my parents, even if my mom can't hit me with the wooden spoon hard enough to hurt.

[Hydra of Ages]

Extremely effective. I'm respectful to everybody and and I will always help others. I am still very afraid of both of my parents, even if my mom can't hit me with the wooden spoon hard enough to hurt.

 

Your personal experience isn't exactly admissible as unbiased fact, especially since you're testifying about your own character. That, and there's no way to know if your temperament is in any way related to the method of punishment your parents used.

 

I stand by my previous statements; there's absolutely no objective proof that corporal punishment is in any way superior to other methods. It's an outdated practice.

[Erinyes]

My parents never used corporal punishment as punishment, and I've grown into an intelligent and well mannered person. Then again, I'm only 14.

 

Corporal punishment works on some people, while for others another form of punishment should be used.

[Blaze Pyro]

I don't like the idea of Corporal Punishment.

 

I always think the punishment should fit the crime.

 

If your child breaks another child's toy, you should have one of their toys taken away and explain to them 'If you don't like it neither will they.'

 

If your child hits another child, they should be made to apologise and then hitting them the same amount (in a non-violent way) is fine.

 

They may be too young to understand Karma but it's still fair.

 

I was smacked for doing things wrong as a child but it only made me have less respect for my Mum.

 

I am a decent person though because I understand that I am not the only person in this world and I wish I could have learnt that sooner.

 

Imposing fear doesn't always work, think about it.

 

People still go to prison; people still get fined, even imposing a death penalty has proven not to be effective.

 

Sending children to 'The Naughty Corner' and asking them to think about what they have done won't work unless you tell them what they have done.

 

That's why we have schools, teachers teach us. They don't say, 'Oh, just figure it out yourself'.

[Dark]

If your child hits another child, they should be made to apologise and then hitting them the same amount (in a non-violent way) is fine.

 

While I am a fine believer of revenge, I don't feel that logic makes much sense.

 

Again, the main point against corporal punishment, which I failed to post (but someone else did <3), is that hitting kids will only tell them that the next time you do something, don't get caught, and you won't get hit. If you actually explain to them what they did wrong, why it is wrong, and punish them in a different way, I surely feel they'll actually learn something, instead of trying to avoid punishment.

 

But the discussion (as stated in the thing below the title) is about should it be LEGAL. Now, that's an interesting topic. We've seen two distinct sides in this debate, but for the people who feel corporal punishment is bad/immoral/doesn't work, should it then be legal?

 

I'm not a big fan of borderline-child-abuse, so no, I don't feel it should be legal. I'm not entirely sure about this, but you aren't allowed to hit your pet if they do something wrong, so why is it not the same for children?

[MortalKombatSmoke]

I never got hit or my mouth washed out with soap or spanked for that matter and I turned out great! "A" student, good manners, many hobbies, I'm only 15 but I also have my future paved out! I mean it's just a matter of which person it is and how the parents use it.

[Jaime Duferier]

i hate abuse, but corporal punishment makes sense. it makes kids more responsible.

[I-dreezyAFG]

most famous rappers today have had horrible parents. so i guess when im 30, i'll be living in a beautiful mansion while im making 100 platnum records an hour, all thanks to my dad. =|

[Gallabas]

Corporal punishment is ok, within reason.
However, different kids respond differently to it.

[GenzoTheHarpist]

I don't like it, in principal. It basically sets kids up with the lesson that they should always acquese to what people want if they'll be punished. It sets you up to submit to authority.

[Jack of All Spades]

MY opinion?

When I was a kid, I was spanked and slapped on the back of the head if I did something wrong. Believe me, I'd never learn. Week after week, I'd get it. Then, my Dad found a new punishment; the vicegrip. He'd grab the back of my neck and yell at me until I stifled out an apology. I have not gotten the vicegrip for 3 years. My dad's not a violent guy, but he hates when I mess up.

Since then, my brother and sister have had just yelling, which in itself is horrible. I don't think I've become a better man through punishment, but why not? I have been so terrified of the vicegrip, I have deliberately avoided problem areas. But I look at these...these kids these days. They get the "say your sorry" treatment, and they learn from nothing. I'm like the English gentleman in a crowd of hockey fans. They throw "penis" and "weed" around like [u]frisbees[/u]. I'm thinking, "Do they even KNOW what could happen if their parents caught them using such words." No, no they don't realize the consequences. In this touchy-feely world we live in, parents try to discipline children without causing physical harm to them. It's not very effective, but I commend them for trying.

My opinion is that children should receive some minor punishment on occasion. I'm thinking wrist-slap to back of head slap is a good range. I don't think parents should light their children on fire (per se) but they should at least give them something to keep in mind the next time they utter "the 'D' word".

[Dark]

[i]Do they even KNOW what could happen if their parents caught them using such words[/i]

It should matter how? I don't believe parents have the authority to dictate what I say, who I say it to, or when I say it. They can advise me as much as they please, but the second they force me to do something they are taking away rights I should have. It's as if I'm owned by them, and that idea has been ditched long ago.

Hitting your child doesn't do anything, and a small slap on the back of the head would either be the same as hitting them (meaning it would not teach them a damn thing), or would seem more playful than forceful. There are other ways to discipline a child, and I hope when I'm a father I have enough sense to know that corporal punishment hasn't, doesn't, and will never work.

[Whirr]

[quote name='Dark' timestamp='1281997692' post='4532268']


I'm not a big fan of borderline-child-abuse, so no, I don't feel it should be legal.
[/quote]

That's a little bit of a hyperbole. Getting spanked for saying bad words isn't really "borderline child abuse."

[Jack of All Spades]

[quote name='Dark' timestamp='1307391242' post='5261341']
[i]Do they even KNOW what could happen if their parents caught them using such words[/i]

It should matter how? [b]I don't believe parents have the authority to dictate what I say, who I say it to, or when I say it.[/b] They can advise me as much as they please, but the second they force me to do something they are taking away rights I should have. [b]It's as if I'm owned by them[/b], and that idea has been ditched long ago.

Hitting your child [b]doesn't do anything[/b], and a small slap on the back of the head would either be the same as hitting them (meaning it would not teach them a damn thing), or would seem more playful than forceful. There are other ways to discipline a child, and I hope when I'm a father I have enough sense to know that corporal punishment hasn't, doesn't, and will never work.
[/quote]
[b]I don't believe parents have the authority to dictate what I say, who I say it to, or when I say it.[/b]- We're talking kids here, not you. We teens have some limits because we were once spanked as children.
[b]It's as if I'm owned by them[/b]- You should b responsible enough to assure that these parents won't see you walking around swearing. They don't own you, but there is a line of conduct.
[b]doesn't do anything[/b]- By that I hope you mean "Doesn't solve any problems."

[Dark]

[quote name='Whirr' timestamp='1307496149' post='5265598']
That's a little bit of a hyperbole. Getting spanked for saying bad words isn't really "borderline child abuse."
[/quote]

So where do you draw the line for "borderline child abuse", if there even is a defined line?

I've been brought up in a household where my parents instilled values in me and enforced them through punishment, not brute force and tactless violence. I've never been hit, and while I may not have turned out to be the most moral person in society, I know the values I should keep. You calling my opinion of what borderline child abuse is a hyperbole is just implying that borderline child abuse is an objective spot in a line. It's not; it's a whole spectrum of things that could consist as borderline child abuse. People who have been brought up in "abusive" households would tolerate more extremes before considering something child abuse.

[quote name='+Whambulance' timestamp='1307496638' post='5265633']
[b]I don't believe parents have the authority to dictate what I say, who I say it to, or when I say it.[/b]- We're talking kids here, not you. We teens have some limits because we were once spanked as children.
[b]It's as if I'm owned by them[/b]- You should b responsible enough to assure that these parents won't see you walking around swearing. They don't own you, but there is a line of conduct.
[b]doesn't do anything[/b]- By that I hope you mean "Doesn't solve any problems."
[/quote]

Kids are so mindless and senseless they'll usually go along with whatever their parents say anyways. Discipline isn't much of a problem except when a parent isn't around, inwhich case a teacher or other adult should be instilling values in them.

My parents don't care if I swear in front of them or in front of friends because they know that I have enough sense not to swear to a teacher or a person of a respectable office. I may live in a liberalisic household, granted, but I don't understand why any parent would doubt their own child's ability to make decisions.

Yes, I mean it doesn't solve any problems. That's kind of what I implied by "doesn't do anything".

[Whirr]

As far as I'm concerned, it's not child abuse until the child is in physical and/or mental anguish. Borderline child abuse to me would be somewhere around screaming or yelling at the child excessively for something minor. But realistically, there [i]isn't[/i] a grey area in child abuse. It either is child abuse or it isn't. You can't [i]kind of[/i] abuse someone or something.

[Dark]

[quote name='Whirr' timestamp='1307509822' post='5266086']
As far as I'm concerned, it's not child abuse until the child is in physical and/or mental anguish. Borderline child abuse to me would be somewhere around screaming or yelling at the child excessively for something minor. But realistically, there [i]isn't[/i] a grey area in child abuse. It either is child abuse or it isn't. You can't [i]kind of[/i] abuse someone or something.
[/quote]

Physical and mental anguish is also fairly subjective when you put your mind to it. You obviously can't define every instance where something is or isn't child abuse; decisions about it are often either spontaneous or based off of previous decisions.

My point was that I consider harsh forms of corporal punishment to be extremely close, if not crossing into the territory, of child abuse. I turned out fine without corporal punishments, so it's definitely not a necessity for anyone. If you want to teach your child to be sneaky and do bad things without the parents knowing, go ahead and slap the wits out of your child. I personally feel it's an archaic form of punishment that leads to nowhere.