Is Spanking an Acceptable Form of Discipline?

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This is rhetoric. Substitute any form of punishment for spanking and the result is equally meaningless. Indeed, effective discipline is the process by which the anti-social child is transformed into a willing disciple who will look up to his parents, follow their lead, and subscribe to their values. It would be lovely, wouldn't it, to think that this could be accomplished without punishing children, but the unfortunate fact is that it can't. Spanking is a valid punishment with certain children in certain situations. It is not a "one size fits all" solution to any misbehavior. Again, the problem is not spanking per se, but the stupid way in which many parents administer spankings.

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Rosemond claims that the problem is not spanking per se, but “the stupid way in which many parents administer spankings.” That statement is demeaning of parents who are likely to be frustrated by children’s misbehavior and who are only doing what they learned in their own childhoods. Numerous studies reveal that if we were raised with corporal punishment, we will most likely raise our children the same way. We have found in our SpankOut Day USA programs that parents give up spanking when given information about corporal punishment and alternatives.

Rosemond says that spanking is a valid measure of punishment for children. We don’t talk about using hitting as a valid punishment for adults. Would he hit Granny if she didn’t take her medicine? Would he hit his spouse if dinner was late? Hitting adults to change or stop behavior we don’t like is illegal. We should give children the right adults have to be free from physical harm.