Jeren Yong
Mr. Todd
Language and Literature, E8, Reflective Essay
Against Physical Punishment of Children by Parents
Parents should educate their children from a young age. However, physical punishment against children at any age is not the best way to educate a child. It is said that children who suffer from physical punishment from parents tend to be anti-social as they are growing up. Children have the knowledge to understand simple educational words. Parents should have child educational lessons to improve their emotional quality in order to educate their children. Physical punishment by parents on their children will affect the child’s metal health. All children tend to be naughty in their daily life. It is natural …show more content…
However, the American Psychological Association did research and proved that, “The results demonstrated that perceived parental disapproval of the use of violence was associated with more pro-social attitudes and less use of physical violence among adolescents, whereas stated parental expectations had no relation to adolescent attitudes, intentions, or use of violence.” (apa.org). This suggested that in their research, the parent’s mental health is also involved with physical punishments, as some parents have been through the physical punishments themselves. Their own parents punished them physically, which is the reason they decide to do such actions to their own children. This is like a chain reaction or a domino effect in terms of physical punishment. Also, parents’ social skills are important, too. If parents have excellent social skills, they are more likely to scold and nag their children rather than physically punish them. Also, parents’ anger management is important, too. Parents who use their children as a punching bag to release their stress at work tend to use violence on their own children. Parents who are alcoholics tend to abuse their children, which is a higher level of physical punishment to children, as their minds are not clear after consuming a lot of alcohol. A bad parent leads to worse …show more content…
Children that suffer from physical punishment tend to have mental illness. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, and several personality disorders. Researchers found 2 percent to 7 percent of mental disorders were attributable to physical punishment.” (aap.org). Physical punishment will affect the children’s mental behavior, as the physical punishment scars the mind in a way that they will never forget. Also, children who are physically punished tend to be very sensitive to the action that is being done to them. For example, when the victim is watching a scene in a movie where someone is physically punished, they will experience trauma, and they will have a mental breakdown. Children who have been through physical punishment tend to like violence, and they will use violence to solve problems. It is said that children will repeat the behavior of their parents. It is because the child obeys their parents, and they respect every single action no matter if it is good or