Is there really a difference? Is spanking the TRUE issue?

Is there really a difference in the behavior or level of adjustment of the child whether they are spanked or not?

Many people who advocate against spanking would say that spanking is a form of violence and it will cause the child to have more behavioral problems as they grow older. They think those children have less anger problems than children who were spanked.

But, I fail to see that...

Actually, in my observation while growing up, I can say that more of the children who were spanked had better behavior than the ones who didn't. The one's who didn't get spankings as a child were the ones who grew up as pre-teens and teens drinking, smoking, and getting into legal trouble. More of the children who did receive spankings were more respectful toward authority and in school received better grades than the ones who didn't.

But even still...is spanking truly the issue in affecting the child's behavior, as much as whether or not their is discipline, period?

I think the child's behavior is more affected if there is simply no discipline demonstrated in the home, and not so much about spanking being the problem. If there is no form of discipline or structured consequences for bad behavior, the child will have behavioral issues.