Spare the Rod or Spoil the Child?
English 1123.106
15 November, 2010 Spare the Rod or Spoil the Child? In a world where children are raised in a non-traditional fashion, physical discipline is a mere distant memory. Corporal punishment has been one of the oldest methods of disciplining children, through the infliction of spanking, or smacking – an attempt to discourage a child from acting a certain way. Children grow and learn from their mistakes, but how do they know right from wrong? Proverbs 13:24 says “He who spares the rod, hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Conservative Protestants disproportionately support the use of corporal punishment as corporal punishment reflects their religious ideology of acceptance of the doctrine of the biblical literalism – the conviction that human nature is inherently sinful and that human sin demands punishment. Corporal punishment is necessary and an effective method of discipline for proper childhood development. Corporal punishment eliminates cases of repeat misconduct or ill discipline in children who have not responded to other forms of punishment, such as grounding or timeouts. Children look to their parents for guidance and discipline. Although other ways to discipline children exist, corporal punishment has proven to be the most effective for centuries. For example, children who are physically punished for doing something wrong are most likely to not repeat the offence in the future. “The use of corporal punishment has also been seen to restrain children from engaging in reckless behaviors” (Turner 217). Corporal Punishment is the most effective method of discipline because a lack of corporal punishment in a home or school can cause more harm than good. Humans respond to fear. If a child fears the outcome of bad behavior, that outcome being a spanking, then the bad behavior will not occur. Detentions, timeouts, and grounding have proven not to be as
15 November, 2010 Spare the Rod or Spoil the Child? In a world where children are raised in a non-traditional fashion, physical discipline is a mere distant memory. Corporal punishment has been one of the oldest methods of disciplining children, through the infliction of spanking, or smacking – an attempt to discourage a child from acting a certain way. Children grow and learn from their mistakes, but how do they know right from wrong? Proverbs 13:24 says “He who spares the rod, hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Conservative Protestants disproportionately support the use of corporal punishment as corporal punishment reflects their religious ideology of acceptance of the doctrine of the biblical literalism – the conviction that human nature is inherently sinful and that human sin demands punishment. Corporal punishment is necessary and an effective method of discipline for proper childhood development. Corporal punishment eliminates cases of repeat misconduct or ill discipline in children who have not responded to other forms of punishment, such as grounding or timeouts. Children look to their parents for guidance and discipline. Although other ways to discipline children exist, corporal punishment has proven to be the most effective for centuries. For example, children who are physically punished for doing something wrong are most likely to not repeat the offence in the future. “The use of corporal punishment has also been seen to restrain children from engaging in reckless behaviors” (Turner 217). Corporal Punishment is the most effective method of discipline because a lack of corporal punishment in a home or school can cause more harm than good. Humans respond to fear. If a child fears the outcome of bad behavior, that outcome being a spanking, then the bad behavior will not occur. Detentions, timeouts, and grounding have proven not to be as
Cited: Benatar, David. “Corporal Punishment.” Oct. 2001. Web. 22 Oct 2010 “Child Discipline. Pro Corporal Punishment.” Oct. 2001. Web. 22 Oct Hicks-Pass, Stephanie. “Corporal Punishment in America Today: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? A systematic Review of Literature.” Best Practice in Mental Health: An International Journal 5.2 (2009)71-88 University Press, 2002. Print.