Scientific Reasons Not to Hit Your Kids-Ever

The majority of parents raise their hands to their children
from time to time. And the vast majority of people who physically punish their kids are loving, devoted parents. They don’t see anything wrong with spanking
or slapping their kids, and this view is all but condoned by our society. This
makes sense: a quick slap or a spanking is bound to stop misbehaviour in the
moment.

But, as the child psychiatrist Alan E. Kadzin argues, corporal punishment not only does not permanently change behavior; it actually increases
aggressive and noncompliant behavior in the long run. And children who are hit
by their parents are also more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, to
do poorly in school, and to have strained relationships with their parents. That’s
a whole lot of good reasons not to ever raise your hands to your children,
especially since corporal punishment is likely to become increasingly severe
and frequent over time.

Unfortunately, these clear scientific findings are not
enough to change parents’ behavior. 85 percent of adolescents have been
corporally punished by their parents. This high number may be partly explained by studies finding that people who are
confident in their parenting abilities are impervious to science that goes
against their parenting style. So when society says that hitting children is
okay, and a parent finds that hitting stops a child from talking back in that moment, the parent is unlikely
to listen to a psychologist claiming that hitting doesn’t work.

Societal thinking must change before parents’
views on corporal punishment change. In 23 countries, it is illegal for
parents to hit their children, and parents in these countries are, not
surprisingly, more likely to view physical punishment unfavorably. In the United
States, however, the prevailing wisdom is that
parents have the right to discipline their children as they see fit, within
certain obvious limits. But, as Kadzin argues, if it’s illegal for an adult to hit another adult,
why should it be okay for adults to hit the smallest, most defenseless
people?

Interestingly, and disturbingly, the United States
is one of only two countries that has not ratified the U.N.’s Convention on the
Rights of Children. The obvious argument against ratification is that it would infringe
on parents’ rights, since it forbids violence against children, even in the home. But the less obvious argument is that it would prevent 17-year-olds from entering the armed forces.

I don't think science has a fighting chance of defeating that brand of national wisdom.

Image: bible.ca