When I published an image on the harms of spanking on Facebook last year, I wasn’t aware of the shytestorm coming.
I foolishly thought in 2018 at the time, people were aware of the longlasting harms spanking as a mean to correct a “naughty’ child can do.
I think this is on par with vaccinating as top parenting debate is our days.
And the kind of thing I don’t usually wish to debate, but have to dive right into, to protect little ones.
My “favorite” answer in the comments was something like:
“It’s okay to spank a child. I was spanked, and I survived and am well today.”
Sure of that? Because saying it’s okay is justifying and perpetuating abuse.
In any case, let’s put it this way.
When was it ever okay to hit really hard another adult in your family? It’s called abuse, and it has to be stopped. There are laws against this.
So why not protect our most sensitive and fragile humans against this?
Yet, in a report of 2014 by researchers Emily Cuddy and Richard V. Reeves of Brookings Institution, it was said that about 70% of Americans agreed that it’s sometimes necessary to spank a kid. We’re talking inflicting pain to a child to correct something.
61% of women report hitting, beating, spanking, or slapping their children.
In Canada, 35% of children receive a form of corporal punishment some time during the year. In the U.K. it is about 42%. In Australia, 85%.
In a recent poll in France, 70% of parents have slapped across the face their children. Only 8% use no form of violence when they want to change a behavior.
So it’s a need:
We still have to educate about it.
I also think we should banish spanking, like Sweden did in 1979.
Why?
Because we have to respect children’s rights to be unharmed.
Because there are other caring ways to help change a behavior, and other than timeouts too, a form that hurts children too.
Because studies show children spanked frequently or severely are at risk of severe mental health problems, like alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and anxiety, of more distant parent-child relationships, and are more likely to be aggressive themselves… and perpetuate the behavior across generations.
Because children get really hurt too, it can be an invisible stigmata carried around.
Because studies from the early 1960s show it affects negatively cognitive skills. Children who were often spanked at 5 years old reported less ability with words, math, and even failing their year when they were in their 5th grade.
Because we are role models that our children learn from.
And so on.
So let’s model peace…
Let’s put an end to inflicting pain and all forms of violence to change our children…
Let’s use only caring ways with our little ones…
Learn how in the new course of the month here:
Peace and love to your family,
Marie
Marie-Eve Boudreault
I’m Momming
Founder at I'm Momming
Marie-Eve Boudreault is first mom to 4 awesome kids. But she's also known as "The Work-At-Home Mom" Specialist. She has inspired thousands of parents (140,000+ social media fans) on the path of working from home, natural parenting, and thriving living. Make sure to subscribe to her FREE Momming Masterclass if you want to create the thriving family life you dream of.
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