Spanking

In his article "New Study Finds Spanking is Good for Kids," Selwyn Duke presents us with research that seems to conclude that spanking is good for our children. He references a study by a psychology professor named Marjorie Gunnoe that claims that children who are spanked did better in school, were more likely to do volunteer work and were more likely to go to college. Duke uses the study to back up his ideas that children need corporal punishment despite previous studies showing it is harmful. He reasons that those previous studies weren 't very scientific. He then gives theories as to why he believes this new research is true, saying those who don 't spank are overly permissive and that violence is natural and sometimes necessary. Although …show more content…
Permissive parents, he says, set poor examples, are inconsistent and don 't teach responsibility. The author is correct that overly permissive parenting can be harmful and according to authors Lesser and Pope, children who are a product of permissive parenting show higher levels of impulsivity, show less ability to persist on tasks, tend to be more demanding and show lower school achievement (280). The problem with Duke 's argument is that he is allowing for only two types of parenting and if you don 't spank, then you must be permissive. However, there are many types of parenting styles and a healthy balance is creating appropriate boundaries and limitations and using discipline without resorting to physical violence. Duke also claims that violence being taught is a "nonsensical assertion" but gives us no evidence as to why this is so. Janet Lansbury, an early education professional that specializes in "respectful parenting," tells us on her website that children need "confident, empathetic leaders and clear boundaries, but not shaming, distractions, punishments or time outs." She also calls on us to recognize the power of modeling and how children learn from adults through words and actions. Thus if we want our children to show love, gratitude, patience, generosity, kindness, and respect, along with other positive attributes, parents must show them how through …show more content…
He argues that we use force and violence to control that kind of violence in grown men, so why would we not use physical violence to control children as well. This type of argument shows Duke 's lack of knowledge when it comes to child development. In the article "Self Control and the Developing Brain," it explains how the brain is growing and developing throughout a person 's life. Toddlers have a hard time with impulse control because their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is largely in charge of self control and following rules, simply isn 't developed (32). The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University explains that a brain is built gradually over time and that interactions and experience help shape the developing brain. So to answer Duke 's question, we shouldn 't use spanking or any other kind of corporal punishment on children because they are learning from their experience and we shouldn 't teach them that violence is the appropriate way to get the things you want. We should instead model appropriate behavior and teach them through calm parenting methods what is acceptable social