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This analysis, conducted at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, offers new evidence that corporal punishment causes cognitive impairment and long-term developmental difficulties.
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According to the report, spanking may reduce the brain's grey matter, the connective tissue between brain cells. Grey matter is an integral part of the central nervous system and influences intelligence testing and learning abilities. It includes areas of the brain involved in sensory perception, speech, muscular control, emotions and memory. Additional research (link is external) supports the hypothesis that children and adolescents subjected to child abuse and neglect have less grey matter than children who have not been ill-treated.
I earned every spanking I received but sometimes I look back and think perhaps there was another way to correct the bad behavior. I don't have kids so I can't imagine what it's like to be a parent, but I hope to adapt the concept that I don't have to spank them, especially when recent studies show the negative effect of such actions.
I was only occassionally spanked for major disobedience and only when I was really young...and never to the degree of bruising, etc. I never thought of it as abuse - I realized I was being punished for something I'd done - that was always very clear and it was not a matter of my parents just hitting me to be mean.
But it's a tough concept for some kids (and parents) to understand and there are better ways - it all comes down to consistency. If parents aren't consistent then nothing works and you just fall back to spanking. Spanking does not have to be abusive but it so easily can be that it's best to totally avoid it.
it all comes down to consistency. If parents aren't consistent then nothing works and you just fall back to spanking. Spanking does not have to be abusive but it so easily can be that it's best to totally avoid it.
Good post and I agree. It doesn't have to be abusive but sadly it's a form of punishment that can easily be abused.
A lot of folks believe it's always ok because it's transgnerational or cultural and has been passed down from previous parents.
A light smack to the back of the legs is acceptable in some countries, However, any smack or punishment that leaves clear marks, welts, bruises or scratches is a prosecutable offence.
I was spanked as a kid for serious offenses or when I was outright defiant. My parents never whipped me or hit me anywhere except my backside and just a couple of hits to get my attention :: It worked and I tended to not repeat the mistakes that got me spanked, lol. My two younger siblings also got spankings at times. None of us feel that we were abused and laugh over it now.
DH was NEVER spanked or even threatened with it while growing up.
I do have a daughter of my own who is now 18. I generally used time-outs, revocation of privileges, or grounding when she misbehaved. I only spanked her twice, if you can call it that. Once was for running out towards the road when she was around 3 years old after I had told her several times not to. I barely caught her before she got to the road which had a lot of traffic on it. I placed her in front of me, asked her "What did I tell you about running into the road?!" then gave her a couple of swats on her arse. The second time I swatted her backside was for trying to stick a toy robot into a light socket.
I'm not a big believer in spankings as I think that there are usually much better ways to deal with misbehavior. I don't think that a swat on the backside on the very rare occasion is child abuse. The issue I have with spanking is that it is easy to fall back onto it as a catch all and it can turn into abuse.
I do consider spanking abuse. I was spanked as a child and grew up hating my dad for it. We never had a good relationship.
I think that spanking is lazy parenting. It's easy to hit a kid for doing what you don't want. And not to pick on Marie, but I frequently hear the running in the street as an example of when a spanking is ok. When my 3 year old ran in the street, we talked about what could happen to him and then we practiced for about 30 minutes how to cross a street. Every time we went for a walk, we talked about how to cross the street. And he never ran in the street again. Yes it took time but it also taught them way more than spanking did.
My kids have never been hit and I can't imagine ever doing it. They are now 13 and 15 and are very well behaved and respectful (and that's not just me....every parent they are around tells me that).
People would be appalled if someone saw an owner hitting a dog yet nobody blinks an eye when they see a child getting hit.
I grew up getting spanked. Most of the time it was with a belt. And not just a few hits but I got my butt whooped. thats just how me and my siblings were dealt with. To be honest it was to much and way too hard. if welts are left after a spanking then thats just too much. But my parents did what they thought was best and they did not play around with misbehavior. Sometimes we got spanked because somebody was in a bad mood and they were quick to snap
i grew up fine. i have never stolen or acted up in school or grew up and did drugs. I follow the rules. I dont break the law. My sister though has always been the opposite, she didn't care about getting spanked she always did what she wanted and didn't care and shes had drug and anorexic problems.
i want to say that both of us have had guys put their hands on us. I ended up in the hospital once. Nit sure if that has anything to do with getting whooped growing up but it might.
i think you can teach kids without hitting or smacking them. When I have kids i will never spank or hit them because i would never want them learning that or ending up like me
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: It worked and I tended to not repeat the mistakes that got me spanked, lol. My two younger siblings also got spankings at times. None of us feel that we were abused and laugh over it now. 
