Spare the rod, spoil the child?
Here's some facts regarding the long term negative effects of spanking.
Okay, I did a nice little summary for those of you who are disinclined to sit through 17 minutes of statistics and bombastic words.
The statistics of the number of people spanking their children are UK and US based, so I'm not going to touch on it... much. However, the effects of spanking would be universal. So that is what I'll be covering.
First off, spanking as defined by the studies shown in the video is not child abuse.
It is "striking a child with an open hand on the buttocks or extremities with the intention of modifying behaviour without causing physical injury." Kapeesh?
If I were in America, nine out of ten children I teach would have been spanked by their parents.
The parents who spank young children are highly likely to continue spanking their child into their teens.
More than half of American parents think that spanking is a vital part of teaching their children.
Parents are more likely to spank when they're angry, irritable, depressed, fatigued and stressed. Basically, when they're in a bad mood lah.
Then, four out of ten says that half the time they spank their child when they can't control their anger anymore.
Afterwards, more than half of the mothers would claim that it's the wrong thing to have done half the time they spanked them.
Basically, the stats are saying that spanking is a fifty fifty gamble with a lot of negative correlation apart from getting them to obey you in that instance of that circumstance.
Spanked children are more likely to be :
- aggressive
- antisocial
- and, chronically defiant.
Even minimal amounts of spanking can cause your child to be more prone to cheating, lying and bullying.
If you hit and yell at them, they'd also be more likely to fight, bully and be mean to other kids.
Aggression against children makes children more aggressive.
That will piss off their parents more, and cause the kids to be spanked more frequently. Vicious vicious cycle there...
Now we've come to the most important part to most of the Singaporean parents. If nothing else can deter you; spanking lowers your child's IQ.
Spanked kids had up to a five point difference in IQ in comparison to kids who weren't spanked.
And the more you spank, the stupider they get.
The slowing down of the mental abilities are significantly increased in 2- 6 year old kids.
That's just as mild as hitting the child on the buttocks at least three times a week.
Spanked kids are more prone to develop these problems later in life:
Personality disorders
- post traumatic stress disorders
- anxiety disorders
- depression
- spousal abuse
- child abuse
- alcohol addiction
- drug abuse
Child abuse is the least surprising, because they were spanked as kids, so they think it's okay to spank their kids, or worse, when they grow up.
Sexual Problems:
- physically or verbally coercing their partners
- risky sexual behavious
- masochistic sex, including arousal by spanking.
- delinquency
- crime
- poor school results
- unemployment
This can be changed though!
"When punitive parenting changes at age 2-3 to non- punitive parenting, children score just as low in aggressive behaviour as those in a non-punitive environment."
Basically, just stop spanking your kids!
Children can be reasoned to.
If you think that they're too young to be reasoned to, then it's worse to be hitting someone who doesn't understand what they did wrong isn't it?
I was slapped once by my cousin when I was about five. I don't even remember what punishment it was for, but I still clearly remember being slapped and the fear I had of her.
I'm not saying to not discipline your kids, or to spoil them rotten, but there are definitely alternative ways to disciplining them.
How can you bear to hit creatures so adorable???!
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