Spankings Make for Aggressive Toddlers
The other day I wrote about a study showing that spanking kids under the age of 6 improved their behavior. I didn't agree with the study. Furthermore, I didn't understand why the study was being done. Personally, I believe spanking is one of those things that is archaic and absolutely unnecessary. Now a different study has shown the complete opposite: that spanking little ones results in children exhibiting aggressive behavior who also "performed worse on measures of thinking abilities." I tend to agree more with this study. It seems logical; if you spank or smack your kids (and I'm not talking to the point of physical abuse but just a smack to keep them in line), why shouldn't your kid make the association that hitting is a good thing? That when your child is in a situation that he does not like and which he would like to modify that the solution is to hit or otherwise act aggressively?
But the real reason I bring this up isn't to reaffirm what I already believe. And it's not to convince readers who spank their kids that spanking is wrong. It's to show the problem with studies. I already have my mind made up. I already believe that spanking is unnecessary. How likely is it that the people who conducted the study showing that spanking leads to aggressive toddlers also already had it made up in their minds that spanking led to behavioral issues? It's also likely that the people conducting the study that showed spanking led to better behavior probably had it made up in their minds that was the case.
It shows no good parent should ever blindly listen to studies. There is too much research that contradicts other research. It is too easy for results to be manipulated, even unintentionally, to favor a particular result. These studies rarely delve deeply enough into the history of those being studied to factor out other variables that may be impacting the results. It's entirely possible that someone who spanks their kid will have a kid that doesn't exhibit any aggressive behavior, who performs immaculately in school. Just like it's entirely possible that someone who never spanks their kid will have a child that is aggressive and performs poorly in thinking abilities. There are other factors at play. Do the parents sit down with their child and teach them, read to them, learn with them? Do the parents teach them the correct way to handle a situation they don't like? These studies rarely if ever ask more questions. They're interested only in attaining a result based on a single factor.
So, my best advice to parents, don't ignore the research and the studies, but take the studies with a grain of salt. Use logic. If a study seems completely contrary to your own beliefs, do further research, find other studies, read up on it, ask other parents, ask your own parents. There's a wealth of information out there, and I don't think any single source is ever completely right on a subject.
January 9th, 2010 - 17:53
People used to think it was necessary to “spank” adult members of the community, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual assault if a person over the age of 18 is “spanked”, but only if over the age of 18.
For one thing, buttock-battering can vibrate the pudendal nerve, which can lead to sexual arousal. There are multitudinous other physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won’t list them all here. One can use the resources I’ve posted if they want to learn more.
Child bottom-battering/slapping vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child bottom-battering (euphemistically labeled “spanking”,”swatting”,”switching”,”smacking”, “paddling”,or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like “Supernanny” and “Dr. Phil” are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit http://www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches’ Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus’ Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.