Parents often do not mean to do harm, but by using this that is exactly what they are doing. If more parents were to realize this, the amount of parents who use corporal punishment would significantly decrease. Imagine when a parent finds out that their child has depression. The parent feels as if they have done something wrong, such as not giving them enough love. Then, imagine if they were using corporal punishment and their child’s risk was increased because of the corporal punishment they used to discipline them as a kid. “The study adds to a growing body of research showing that physical punishment in childhood can lead to poor mental health in adulthood, including increased risk of depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol abuse….The findings suggest that eliminating all physical punishment of children would reduce the prevalence of mental disorders, the researchers said” (Gates). Also in a different research, “Results High levels of corporal punishment in tandem with high levels of supportive communication were associated with the highest levels of depressive symptoms” (Wimsatt et. al). These are just two of many studies that show corporal punishment can lead to depression along with other mental issues later in the child’s life. These issues are because of corporal punishment and are not related to those involved in emotional neglect or sexual abuse, but …show more content…
At home, parents could ground children or use time-outs or even go through a Parent Education Program (PEP) that, “focus on enhancing parenting practices and behaviors, such as developing and practicing positive discipline techniques, learning age-appropriate child development skills and milestones, promoting positive play and interaction between parents and children, and locating and accessing community services and supports” (Parent Education Programs). Also, for schools they could use restorative justice that allow children to stay in the class room, while fixing their behavior. The risks that children are likely to receive from corporal punishment can easily be decreased if this technique was banned in schools and at home. Some states have already decided to outlaw corporal punishment, but there is still a large majority of states that still allow this kind of punishment. Is corporal punishment really worth potentially hurting children physically and causing mental or behavioral problems later in life? There has to be a way for everyone to agree on a punishment that would cause the same results as corporal punishment, but without all of the terrible consequences that can come from corporal