DOMESTIC CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: BEHIND THE WHOOPING
Corporal punishment is something that everyone is familiar with and very few people are against. Whenever someone does something wrong, they should be punished. For example, if a student is late to class, they may be punished by having to serve detention. Even worse, if someone commits a serious crime, they may have to spend time in a prison as punishment. But what is the public view when it comes to corporal punishment in the home, or domestic corporal punishment? The issue of domestic corporal punishment is very controversial and has been that way for quite some time. In many cultures, parents were deemed to have the responsibility of disciplining or correcting their child whenever necessary. However, the views of the general public began to change around the 1950’s and 1960’s after Dr. Benjamin Spock, a pediatrician, published his book “Baby and Child Care” in 1946. In this book, Dr. Spock reasoned that parents shouldn’t spank their children but should instead treat them as individuals. So, what exactly is “domestic corporal punishment?” The National Association of School Nurses defines corporal punishment as "intentional infliction of physical pain as a method of changing behavior."
After the views of Dr. Spock began to receive widespread attention, many countries in turn began to create new child laws. From 1929 to 2010, 29 countries around the world have banned domestic corporal punishment of children; such countries include Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Venezuela. But for the amount of countries that have outlawed domestic corporal punishment, there are many others that still allow the practice to be carried out such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Africa and certain parts of Eastern Asia. So with so many different countries with different child-rearing values, what would happen if the children were raised in the same general area such as South Florida? The area chosen is the average home and the different ways parents discipline their children.
Dr. Aletha Solter, a psychological doctor, is one of the many mothers that are against spanking children. She believes that are better ways to raise and discipline a child and that spanking is never the answer. She even went as far as publishing an article providing twenty alternative ways to “discipline” your child that is supposed to be more effective than spanking. A few of these methods include explaining situations to the child and giving the child choices instead of commands. Many countries, especially those in Europe are agreeing with these standpoints and some countries are taking their laws farther than others. In 2007, New Zealand passed a law that not only is spanking your child illegal, but so is grabbing their hand! If a parent decides to walk down a street and turn left but the child decides to turn right, it is illegal to grab their hand to redirect them.
Mr. Gregory S. Foreman, who is a family law attorney and certified family court mediator in Charleston, NC is clearly against the topic of domestic corporal punishment. Mr. Foreman reasons that he doesn’t believe a parent should have the right to hit a child to correct their behavior the same way that a man doesn’t have the right to hit his wife whenever he disapproves of her behavior. He states, in his article titled “Why isn’t corporal punishment considered domestic abuse?”, that he understands the relationship between a husband and wife is different than the relationship between parent and child but also believes that a child should be treated with respect. He claims that all forms of hitting a child should be considered as abuse whether it is spanking a child with a belt or slapping them lightly on the hand. He questions how a person can justify the hitting of a child just because they happen to have responsibility over the child. Does that mean one spouse should be able to hit or abuse the other if the former had responsibility over the latter?
Mr. Foreman was subsequently asked a simple question: Why is it that in countries where spanking is accepted and administered, the children are more behaved than American children that have never been spanked and the children also respect their elders and desire more out of life?
His reply was simple:
My study of history and philosophy has led me to a belief that acceptance of violence in any area of public life tends to move the culture in a direction which I do not approve of. For example the myriad evidence that the culture of hunting leads to greater appreciation and conservation of natural resources (something I value) does not lead to me approving of hunting. While I can acknowledge that, in our contemporary culture, hunting (something I abhor) leads to conservation (something I cherish), this does not lead me to conclude that hunting is good but, instead, to conclude that we must take steps to encourage a culture that values nature for reasons other than hunting.
In the example of corporal punishment, because I desire a culture that shapes intimate relationships upon mutuality, dignity and respect, a finding that children who were disciplined through corporal punishment were happier than children who were disciplined through “time outs” or the withholding of privileges would not change my mind about corporal punishment. Further, my social science reading notes a strong correlation between cultures that accept corporal punishment and cultures that accept domestic violence towards women or tolerate violence to settle internal political disputes.
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On the opposite end of the domestic punishment spectrum are the individuals that aren’t against spanking children. In a paper written by law student Jason M. Fuller titled “The Science And Statistics Behind Spanking Suggest That Laws Allowing Corporal Punishment Are In The Best Interests Of The Child”, Mr. Fuller reveals some shocking statistics. According to research by Fuller, children that have never been spanked in their lives are more likely to lead a life of crime as they get older and have a more troubled adulthood than children who have been spanked occasionally. The only group that seemed to fare worse were children that began receiving spankings as teenagers. Also, in areas that seemed to ban spanking, parents were more likely to spank their children.
According to the paper written by Mr. Fuller, ever since 1989, even the United Nations tried to ban all forms of physical punishment including punishment within the home. All countries that make up the U.N. have accepted this ban except for the United States and Somalia. But although the United States doesn’t completely ban corporal punishment in the home, they began ruling by how much force a child can be hit (Bowers vs. The State). These little laws are inching the United States closer and closer to a nationwide ban on spanking. The ban on spanking in Sweden, the first country to ban spanking, seemed to have negative effects. Not only has abuse risen by over five-hundred percent in the years following the ban, but two years later, parents were resorting to more yelling, grabbing, and pushing twice as much (Chart).
| In-Home Abuse of Children 0-6 Years Old in Sweden | General Abuse of children 0-6 years old in Sweden | ||
| Year | Indoor abuses of a known victim | Year | All abuses registered by police |
| 1981 | 99 | 1981 | 196 |
| 1982 | 98 | 1982 | 187 |
| 1983 | 96 | 1983 | 167 |
| 1984 | 127 | 1984 | 222 |
| 1985 | 128 | 1985 | 236 |
| 1986 | 122 | 1986 | 211 |
| 1987 | 153 | 1987 | 264 |
| 1988 | 182 | 1988 | 266 |
| 1989 | 184 | 1989 | 365 |
| 1990 | 248 | 1990 | 437 |
| 1991 | 304 | 1991 | 517 |
| 1992 | 378 | 1992 | 603 |
| 1993 | 407 | 1993 | 642 |
| 1994 | 583 | 1994 | 838 |
| 1995 | 560 | 1995 | 824 |
| 1996 | --- | 1996 | 825 |
| 1997 | --- | 1997 | 820 |
| 1998 | --- | 1998 | 810 |
| 1999 | 622 | 1999 | 879 |
In finding the point of view of a youth who has been beaten as a kid, I found a good friend of mine who has lived in South Florida her whole life and decided to ask her a few questions. I asked her how often was she beaten or spanked as a child and she replied that the beatings came rarely and was very inconsistent. When asked about the level of respect she had for her mother, the answer was pretty obvious: very low. She also stated that last year, which was the last time her mother attempted to put a hand on her, she pushed her mother out of the way and they almost got into a physical altercation. Then I decided to ask whether or not she would beat her own children if she ever had children of her own and the reply was mildly shocking. After a long pause she answered that she would hit her kids but only if they hit her first so they learn the lesson that hitting those bigger than you have consequences. In wrapping up I asked her if she believed that spankings work when raising children and she replied, “Whoopings work but aren’t right.”
Speaking from personal experience as a person who has been spanked I think that spanking is a very effective way in raising children. I believe than when many people hear about beating children, they picture a bloodied body with possible broken limbs. However, when administered correctly I honestly think that a good spanking now and then is the best way to raise a child if it’s mixed with love and care.
