Spanking
Most Americans were spanked as children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents use alternative methods of discipline. According to the AAP, spanking is no more effective in modifying a child's behavior than putting the child in time-out. Spanking may also make other consequences seem less effective -- such as those used to discipline at school. The AAP says spanking will also gradually lose its own effect.
Top 5 Tips for Effective Child Discipline, from Parenting Expert and Psychotherapist Jill Spivack
- Don't spank.
- When you're feeling angry about a behavior and you feel like spanking, take a time-out yourself. Go to a room in your home and breathe before acting. It's always OK to wait a bit before deciding what consequence to give your child.
- Try to catch your child being "good." Praising children when they're behaving the way we'd like them to behave is 10 times more effective in encouraging good behavior than punishing negative behaviors.
- Set predictable boundaries and rules. Being effective in discipline means explaining, in advance, what is considered to be acceptable behavior and what the consequences are for negative behaviors. Talk to your children when they're calm and you're not in a power struggle.
- Try to understand the reasons why your child is acting out. Has there been stress in the household? If so, try to calm things down.... Is your child going through a major transition? If so, help them work it through with love and attention to the issue. If you've been unavailable or have been away, spend some special time "filling them up" with your undivided attention. This will often help children feel more connected and eradicate some of the negative behaviors that cause you to become angry or to feel like spanking.
What Moms Should Know about Spanking
Parenting expert and psychotherapist Jill Spivack weighs in on the negative effects of spanking:
Spanking is a punitive form of discipline. Ultimately, children do best when they experience logical consequences for behavior. Although spanking may relieve a parent's frustration and stop misbehavior briefly, spanking is thought to be the least effective method of discipline.
When a parent hits, they are telling the child that physical punishment is an acceptable way to solve problems -- and yet parents are usually trying to encourage the exact opposite behaviors out of their child. Children will become confused when they're told not to act aggressively toward others if their parents act aggressively toward them. Spanking is also ineffective because it's not teaching kids an alternative behavior.
Children ultimately feel ashamed, humiliated, and resentful after being spanked.
A child who is spanked may experience these long-term effects:
- increased risk of aggression
- violent behavior
- depression
- Children who are spanked are more likely to use alcohol.
- Those spanked as children are more likely to spank their own children.
- Children who are spanked grow up to be more likely to hit their spouses.
- Children who are spanked are more likely to commit crimes as adults.
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by hnub from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.