Debate Paper
Laura Hale-Steingrebe
XBCOM/275
May 4, 2014
Dr. Hector Iweka

Spanking versus child abuse
The most common misconception that spanking is a form of child abuse has now affected the proper discipline of today’s children and young adults. Some parents are actually afraid to discipline their children in the same way they were brought up due to fears of child abuse claims. Are you one of those parents? It is surprising how many of us are. Is there a right or wrong way to discipline children, and who has the say in it? Most experts on child rearing are against spanking in belief that it causes negative long-term effects, but parents who were spanked as a child tend to believe it is the only way to discipline their children when severe behavior problems arise. So do we act on an old-fashioned learned method or concede to following the expert’s advice and find other alternate measures for discipline in hopes that children will behave?
Most adults can say they were spanked as a child and they turned out just fine, so what would be wrong with using that same form of discipline on their children? Children need to know the difference between right and wrong. Parents who do spank their children argue that if done properly and only when absolutely necessary, spanking can be an effective disciplinary tool. However, parents who choose not to spank their children, say that hitting a child only teaches them that violence is a way to solve problems that arise. At what age is it appropriate to start disciplining or spanking children? Teaching children discipline should start at an early age and be learned into their youth years. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have discovered from a recent study, that children that are spanked before the age of 2 are more likely to have behavioral problems when they enter grade school (Slade,