Donate Now Search. I would like information about how to discipline my children. I was spanked as a child and I have mixed feelings about it.
I find that I am starting to spank my children and while it sometimes stops their behavior, they just do the same bad thing next time. My parents think it is important to be strict so that my children learn the right behavior. Is it okay to spank your child? Thank you for being reflective about the use of spanking and for being so honest about your struggle.
It is wise to have mixed feelings and to be questioning its use in helping children correct their behavior. While our parents can offer wise advice based on knowledge and personal experience, it is important to also evaluate how their experiences fit with the current environment. Legal expectations, social norms, and societal learnings from research can often change from generation to generation, so it is best to take in multiple forms of information and educate yourself about what fits given the current climate.
We have learned through time that spanking is not an effective discipline technique. While it may stop the behavior in the immediacy, it is only because the use of spanking or any type of physical force is more than likely creating fear. It is fear that is stopping the behavior and it can create damage, particularly if it is being induced repeatedly over time.
Ongoing and consistent fear for a child can have a direct negative impact on healthy brain, mental, emotional, and psychological development. Spanking can also encourage children to learn to use physical force to deal with conflict and can potentially carry that difficulty into adulthood.
