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Debate 3 Conflict is now recognized as a systemic part of social relationships. It is the way conflict is managed that either involves violence or not. In family studies, it was just a quarter of a century ago that violence in families -- between wives and husbands, between children and parents -- began to be viewed as part of everyday interaction processes and not as a manifestation of individual pathology. Recently, in Beating the Devil Out of Them, Murray Straus, who has been in the forefront of family violence research, examines how people think about corporal punishment, its use and its effects on children and society. Corporal punishment refers to "the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control of the child's behavior." Corporal punishment for a child's misbehavior remains encouraged by religious traditions, some childrearing expert opinion, legal tradition, as well as the legacy of social convention. Corporal punishment is a "right and responsibility" of parents, and this "right and responsibility" has been extended to schools. Straus urges us to reconsider corporal punishment is as an unnecessary means of discipline and as part of a social problem, wherein violence begets violence. There has emerged
a cultural debate that centers on questioning such beliefs as spanking works
better, spanking is needed as a last resort, spanking is harmless, and if
you don't spank, your child will be spoiled or run wild. The debate between "right
ways" -- the ways things have always been in the valued use of corporal punishment
vs. the advice of family scholars about the deterimental consequences of
using corporal punishment -- is the debate issue. The debate also centers
on parental rights and responsibilities -- to discipline children, even by
means of corporal punishment -- and adults' right to extend their parenting
rights to school administrators. The question is simple: In your opinion and experience as a
child, do you agree or disagree that it is sometimes necessary to discipline
a child with a good hard spanking or smacking? I strongly agree OBSERVATION: National studies reveal that 27 percent of a sample of American adults strongly agree a good, hard spanking is sometimes necessary. Parents are slightly more likely to strongly agree (29%) than non-parents (24%), fathers (30%) only slightly more likely than mothers (28%). African American fathers are most likely to strongly agree (43%), followed by African American mothers (42%), Anglo fathers (28%), and Anglo mothers (25%). Fundamentalist Protestant parents were most likely to strongly agree (36%), followed by those from moderate (28%) and liberal (24%) Protestant denominations, Catholics (24%), and those having no religious affiliation (25%). OBSERVATION:
Some European countries have passed legislation that outlaws physical punishment of children, including
spanking. But the Supreme Court of Canada
recently upheld a century-old law that allows parents, teachers and caregivers
to spank children, but ruled the use of corporal punishment be confined to
children between the ages of two and 12. OBSERVATION: In October 2003, Canadian and American parents who spank their children came under fire as the United Nations told Ottawa and Washington to ban all forms of corporal punishment of youngsters -- from a light slap to a good shake. FACT:
The Massachusetts Supreme Court in late 1999 heard arguments on a case
in which a Protestant minister said he has the right to discipline his child
with a light spanking with a belt, whereas state child welfare agencies said
he is engaged in abuse. Lawyers for the Rev. David Cobble said the
minister and his wife "adhere strictly to the Bible and what the Bible teaches"
in disciplining their children. The state Department of Social Services
in 1997 received a report from a teacher that Judah Cobble, then 9, had said
he was afraid to bring home a bad report card because he would be spanked.
The teacher notified DSS. DSS, after investigating the teacher's claim,
said the severity and frequency of the spankings put the youth at risk and
amounted to abuse, and threatened to remove the boy from the Cobble home.
Cobble appealed. The Massachusetts Supreme Court upheld the right of
a parent to spank a child. FACT: Extrapolating from a 1995 Gallup survey of parents nationwide (n = 1,000), more than three million American children are physically battered each year in the name of discipline, and almost 5 percent are punished by punching, kicking or being thrown down, or by hitting with a hard object on some part of the body other than the rear end. FACT: The National Family Violence Survey involved 6,002 adults respondents, including adults who were living with a spouse, living common law, or a single parent living with one or more children. They were asked the question: "Thinking about when you yourself were a teenager, about how often would you say your mother or stepmother used corporal punishment, like slapping or hitting you?" A second question was asked concerning their father or stepfather. About half of the subjects reported memories of having been hit during adolescence. Respondents were asked five questions to find out if they had been suffering from sadness, depression, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, feelings that nothing was worthwhile, or suicidal ideation during the past year. FACT: Researchers have attempted to link spanking with problems in the "spankees'" later behavior -- either during childhood, or adulthood. Some have found links between corporal punishment and teen depression, teenage delinquency, marital conflict and spousal abuse. Other research papers did not find these relationships. OBSERVATION: "I alter my advice to parents slightly, depending on their situation. In your case, a two parent family where both parents are working together as a team, you can have a discussion with the kids. You can tell the kids that Mom and Dad realize they have not been doing a good job of disciplining the children, and that God has helped you realize you need to enforce His standards more carefully. Let them know the rules have changed, but your love for them has not. Explain that in the future spankings will not be laughing matters, because sin and disobedience is a serious thing in God's eyes. Make changes gradually and most important, be consistent." (Mark and Sallie Benedict, ChristianNet.com). FACT: More than 90 percent of American parents admit to spanking -- among the highest percentages worldwide -- but only a small percent seriously injure their children. FACT: In To Spank or Not To Spank: A Parents' Handbook, John Rosemond, discusses the issues associated with spanking your child, as well as how to do it correctly. Along the way, he discusses the anti-spanking rhetoric and basic tips on good discipline. . THE ISSUES: The conceptualization that corporal punishment is violence and not not a worthwhile means of discipline is a new, troubling point of view for many people. It challenges experience and convention. The issue is simple: Should schools and parents have the right to use corporal punishment to discipline children? If so, under what circumstances -- are there age limits? location/place restrictions? If not, why? THE DEBATE QUESTION: Is the use of corporal punishment harming children and society? Worthwhile Web Resources World Corporal Punishment research Corporal Punishment of Children -- critiques of anti-spanking Religious Tolerance -- critique of anti-spanking American Psychological Association Murray Straus on corporal
punishment
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Corporal Punishment:
The Future of Children? 