I’m sure you’ve all heard about this topic at one point or another. In the last (I want to say decade), society has taken it upon themselves to criticize one of the age old ways of disciplining a child: spanking.
Now, as a black and white mixed child, I was brought up between two different worlds. My moms side of the family. They have a typically white, time-out giving, lecture giving, passive parenting style- and then there’s my dads side of the family. Down South- you already know how it went down. They had the typically black, no-BS taking, whoopin’ delivering, go-get-a-switch-so-I-can-wear-that-a**-out type parenting style. Here’s what I have to say from personal experience, a good wack on the behind is GOOD for discipline, HEALTHY even in small quantities and for the right situations. Because me and EVERY child I knew at the time would do whatever they wanted with a typically white/passive parent, and they were on their utmost best behavior anywhere near a black/aggressive. parent. The problem occurs when the spanking becomes a beating, harder and more often than necessary and in the wrong places.
This has become so much of a concern in the last few year that there are even groups of people dedicated to spreading the word about “Child Abuse” & urging it’s abolishment. check out this website:
http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=athome-main&gclid=CNiDhsnX2rUCFalQOgodcGAAsw
Other then that, however, i’ve seen a larger majority of websites arguing that spanking is nowhere near abuse unless it gets out of control on the parents side. Most websites i’ve come across have the same answer. Is spanking child abuse?
A: No. Though a lot of people these days try and make it seem like it is.
To me, this is just a matter of opinion and it’s the business of the family and the family ONLY of how they choose to discipline their child. I don’t believe the government or any type of authority should come into a home and tell a parent how to raise their children (though I want to make it clear that I mean this only with safe and stable house-holds. If there is an issue of actual abuse, then it’s a different matter). What do you guys think?
The responses people made to this question are particularly interesting on these two websites, if you only want to browse one or two links i’ve provided i’d suggest these.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/other/150284/spanking_child_abuse_are_not
http://www.sodahead.com/living/do-you-consider-spanking-child-abuse/question-3390257/
Some other links:
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/when-is-spanking-child-abuse/
http://family-law.lawyers.com/child-abuse-and-neglect/Spare-the-Rod-Is-Spanking-Child-Abuse.html
