Social Issues: Corporal Punishment

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Corporal punishment is a controversial topic. Some people support it, but others oppose it fiercely. The type of discipline that parents should give to children differs from one culture to another. In some cultures, corporal punishment is permissible, and in others, it is a crime.

Moreover, some religious people believe that corporal punishment is important so as not to spare the rod and spoil the child, according to the Bible. I do not support corporal punishment because I do not believe that inflicting pain to a child can make them disciplined. Instead, it will make them fearful. Corporal punishment is a negative type of discipline because it teaches children that violence is the way to influence people.

To begin with, people that support corporal punishment say they do so because they believe that a child needs spanking to learn a discipline. For instance, some teachers complain that students do not behave well in school because they lack disciplined at home (Banks, “Letters” 2). They argue that children that do not receive corporal punishment turn out to be spoilt arrogant children with no regard for any kind of rule or regulation.

Such children even threaten their parents with calling the police if spanked (Banks, “Spanking” 3). Moreover, some parents spank their children because their culture permits it, for example in Korea an act of spanking a child is equal to love, but in the USA, it is a felony (Sewell, Willon and Kim 4).

Therefore, people who support corporal punishment do so because they believe it helps a child to grow up with discipline and respect for the adults, such as teachers. They truly believe that sparing the rod is spoiling a child.

On the other hand, most parents do not support corporal punishment because they think it is not a proper way to discipline a child. They believe that a parent should look for an alternative way to instill discipline in each child because children are different.

There is no one particular method of parenting that can fit all children (Banks, “Spanking” 3). Furthermore, studies have shown that children who experience corporal punishment may end up with problems later in life such as drug abuse and even personality disorders (Banks, “Letters” 2).

Furthermore, corporal punishment should not be used on children because other ways of disciplining children work effectively. Some parents claim they have never spanked their children and they turned out to be all right. They argue that parents need to spend more time taking care of their children, especially during their formative years to instill discipline and the children will not turn away from them when they become adults.

Parents, especially those in Sweden, get time to spend with their children during their early years. They get paid leaves and get the chance to mold them properly. Thus, those who advocate against corporal punishment posit that parents must value their children and devote time to them.

Finally, the debate on the issue of corporal punishment will not conclude soon. Some parents feel that they have a right to spank their children. They argue their parents spanked them and they turned out to be okay. Some believe that corporal punishment should be outlawed because it harms children. Therefore, no parent should subject a child to any form of violence in the name of discipline.