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If a child hit someone, is it really a good dicipline method to spank them? You're essentially telling them that it's not OK for them to hit someone, but it's OK for you as a parent to hit them. Imagine how confusing that's going to be for the kid.
Personally, I think it's a very bad idea to spank a child, no matter how you do it. I don't think it makes the kid respect the parents more, but maybe fear them a little - and fear is not the same as respect, even if they can sem similar. I think I voiced my opinion sometime earlier in this topic, so I won't do the lengthy version again now.
Most kids, if not completely tuned out from yelling or spanking or other forms of anger/annoyance-based methods, may get more out of having calm and reasoned conversations about why they shouldn't do something, and what they can do instead. Depending on their age (keeping the conversation on their level of understanding, of course - but even toddlers are smarter than you may think), a chat about the risks, and perhaps sitting down with the kid doing a "thought experiment" in a "what would happen if..." or "why shouldn't you..." or "how would you feel if someone did that to you" kind of way where you make the child do the thinking would be a much better way to deal with that. A child who is able to reason through a situation from a young age, not just being told what to do, would function better and probably also be more willing to listen to you. Kids are different from each other, of course, but I don't think spanking solves anything. Yelling also tends to be a bad way to dicipline kids, because after a while they tune it out. Of course, you can't always have that reasoned talk with them in the moment, sometimes you have to react fast if the kid does something bad or dangerous - but making room for such conversations as soon as possible after an incident (preferably as a preventative method before anything bad happens) may help for future dangerous or unfortunate situations. Most kids love talking and explaining, and they love asking "why?" so it's a good idea to exploit that curiosity while it lasts. If the child feels comfortable talking to you about their issues, they're also more likely to listen to you. If all they get is yelling and spanking, and if they get punished for everything they do, their trust is likely to disappear.
Other ways of punishing, like making the kid do chores instead of playing with their electronic devices, or losing privileges if they do something bad may be other alternative methods. Equally, if they get small rewards for doing something extra (perhaps not for every chore, though), It teaches the kid there are consequences of their actions - both the good and the bad. Only works if both parents follow through.
And yes, there are countries where spanking kids is illegal (I live in one of those countries). Thankfully, spanking isn't the only method to dicipline kids, and pretty much the worst method, too (not just my words - there has been plenty of scientific studies on this).