Young 1

Zachary Young
Chapter 12
FHS 2400
Spanking
I consider spanking an acceptable way to punish a child for doing something wrong. Speaking
from personal experience, spanking conveys a very simple message that a child at any age can
understand, which is dont do that. You make sure the child understand what they did wrong, an option
for what they could do next time, and spank them so they remember. Is it the best method of teaching? I
dont know, there is no perfect universal method of teaching, it depends on the situation of the family.
As a parent, I would discuss with my spouse how we should go about teaching our children right
from wrong. Two brains are better than one, us working together to find a solution that works for us will
most likely result in a more perfect method. If we decided that spanking would be appropriate, then I
would do it. Its all about communication with your spouse and children so everyone is on the same page.
Age is a large factor in whether or not physical punishment is acceptable. Younger children have
a hard time understanding right from wrong sometimes, and physical punishment can be used to reinforce
how important right and wrong are. When they are older, they can understand consequences at a higher
level because they are exposed to reward/consequence situations at school. If youre mean to everyone,
you wont have many friends, if at all. If you dont do your homework, you fall behind and feel inferior. At
that point physical punishment isnt needed as a type of reinforcement.
It is not acceptable to spank just because you are angry. Physical violence is never the answer to
anger, no matter how much the media promotes that idea. For me this isnt a big deal, I dont get angry
very often, if at all, but I know people that can get angry over the silliest things and violent anger could
become a problem for them when raising a child. Talking with your child can help you understand why the
child decided to do what they did so you can come up with a solution to their problem. Simply taking a
moment to see the big picture is another possible opportunity to better comprehend the situation.
Slapping a child across the face isnt a good form of punishment. At that point there is a visible
sign that you did something wrong, punishment should be private. Humiliation is an awful form of
punishment, it always ends with fear. Spanking is different because there is no visible sign for everyone
else to see, its an intimate problem you are solving directly with your parents.

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Works Cited
Strong, B, & Cohen, T. F. (2014). The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a
changing society (12th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.