Is physical punishment or corporal punishment a justifiable method for punishing children? “Corporal punishment can occur anywhere, and whippings, beatings, paddling, and flogging are specific forms of corporal punishment. The definition of corporal punishment is the painful intentionally inflicted (typically, by striking a child) physical penalty administered by a person in authority for disciplinary purposes.”(www.stophitting.com) There are two opinions on this issue. Yes, physical punishment is a justifiable method for punishing children, or no, physical force is not a justifiable method of punishing children.

One group of people who believe in using physical force for punishing children are Christians who follow the Bible. God’s teaching in that says in Proverbs 13:24 “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”(the King James Bible) People who believe in physical force for punishment believe this because God tells them not to spare the rod, and they obey what he says. Parents do not show love to their children when they raise a kid who does not have self-discipline, rather it shows a lack of love to those children because those children will grow up to be undisciplined adults. Proverbs 29:15 says “the rod of correcting imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” Christians do not believe in child abuse for the bible says in Ephesians 6:4 “And you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admiration of the Lord.” (The King James Bible) The bible is clear that children need to be trained in righteousness.

A reason that parents use physical force in punishing their children is because those parents were also spanked as a child. Those parents feel that spankings worked for them, and they turned out fine. So they tend to use the same parenting methods as their parents.

Some parents who aren’t Christians, or who were not punished physically as a child, also spank or use other physical methods of punishments on their kids. These parents feel that their children need consequences for their actions and there is nothing wrong with a spanking.

Some people who disagree with physical punishment of children believe it leads to physical abuse. These parents believe the dangers of beginning corporal punishments can escalate from a simple slap on the hand to the extreme of hitting your child with the fist. These people believe that physical punishment also ends up teaching the child violence, the “uncertainty of being loved,” and that the parents that do use physical punishment are venting their anger on their children. They also believe in the long term, physical punishment makes the child believe he does not “deserve respect, and that violence is a manifestation of love.” Research has also shown that physical punishment poses a risk to the safety and development of children. Other people who do not believe physical punishment is justifiable say “children are human beings and as such have the same human rights as anyone else.”

My belief on punishing children is to use a reasonable amount of physical punishment. I think it is ok to spank your child if they have done something wrong. Children need to know there are consequences for their actions. As a kid who has been spanked when needed it, I think physical punishment catches your attention more, a lot more than just being sent to your room. I learned to not do certain things because I wanted to avoid getting a spanking. Corporal punishment worked best for me, I learned that there is a consequence when I did things wrong.
Parents must choose which if any discipline will benefit their children and help them grow into a strong adult. Parents must weigh their choice of corporal punishment. Will corporal punishment help their children better realize that there are consequences for actions taken? Or will no discipline or small discipline help their kids grow into young well behaved adults?