Sometimes parents either don't know the difference between spanking and abuse or they get so frustrated with their children that the anger builds up and they end up taking it too far. According to our class text, "The Process of Parenting" by Jane B. Brooks, there are two definite distinctions between levels of physical discipline. The first level consists of "mild spanking, defined as a slap or two with the flat of the hand on the buttocks or extremities without causing any physical injury to the child and normally used with young children between ages two and six". The other level is defined as "abuse, including beating, kicking, and punching that results in injury to the child".
As you can see there is a definite difference between the two and it's almost unfathomable that some parents don't know the difference when it comes to handling their children. It seems as though parents are more likely to use spanking if they were spanked as a form of discipline when they were younger. For many this has been proven effective, if used properly. For others, such as the woman in the following video from an episode of Dr. Phil, it's easy to see that it wasn't effective when she was younger and most definitely isn't effective and/or an acceptable form of discipline.
Dr. Phil - Part 1
Dr. Phil - Part 2
Dr. Phil - Part 3
I absolutely agree that there are "levels" of spanking. Spanking should only be used for the purpose of benefiting the child. When the spanking becomes emotional driven by the parent because they themselves are angry at the child and want to release the anger onto the child, is when it becomes abuse.
ReplyDeleteDisciplining has the goal of the child in mind. Abuse has the person whose giving the spanking in mind, and it's usually self-centered and emotionally driven out of their own anger.