Spanking is good for kids?
... you might be lead to believe that, should you have caught this story in an Australian newspaper (who knew the Aussies were such big smackers?).
I was called by the Ed Norris show to comment on this story, and when I began to look into the facts it turns out that the reporter, Cheryl Critchley, completely misrepresented what the study said. "Reports" the Herald Tribune,
For the record, numerous studies have found associations between negative consequences and hitting kids, from lowered IQ's to higher rates of criminal behavior and sexual deviance. But note than an association is not the same as cause-and-effect, which is pretty much impossible to establish if you're using real humans as subjects.
The bottom line (har!) if you're looking for scientific support for the benefits of spanking: it doesn't exist. But if you're looking for evidence that certain people are trying to turn spanking into a political issue, there's ample evidence for that!
I was called by the Ed Norris show to comment on this story, and when I began to look into the facts it turns out that the reporter, Cheryl Critchley, completely misrepresented what the study said. "Reports" the Herald Tribune,
The Christian Calvin College in Michigan quizzed 2600 teens and found the 75 per cent who were smacked at ages 2-6 performed better on measures such as academic and volunteer work, college aspirations, hope and confidence than those who weren't.In reality, everything in the above paragraph is false, other than the college being in Michigan. The study was of 187 teens, not 2600. The kids were not "quizzed" but self-reported on seven questions, including if they had ever "attacked anyone," been "depressed" and if they felt they had a "close relationship with God." Teens who had been hit did not perform "better," in truth there was no significant difference in how they responded. Below is the PowerPoint that the researcher, Marji Gunnoe, sent me.
For the record, numerous studies have found associations between negative consequences and hitting kids, from lowered IQ's to higher rates of criminal behavior and sexual deviance. But note than an association is not the same as cause-and-effect, which is pretty much impossible to establish if you're using real humans as subjects.
The bottom line (har!) if you're looking for scientific support for the benefits of spanking: it doesn't exist. But if you're looking for evidence that certain people are trying to turn spanking into a political issue, there's ample evidence for that!
posted by Maurice Bradbury at 5:51 AM
2 Comments:
Spirit of the law or letter of the law?: The vast majority of professionals agree that child bottom-battering/slapping isn’t healthy. A marginal few (mostly religious fundamentalists as those at Calvin) think that child bottom-slapping is good. They use the same selective literalist interpretation of the Bible as was used to justify “witch”-burning, depraved torture methods for those accused of sin and heresy, slavery, racism, wife-beating, oppression of women and a host of other social ills.
People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual assault if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.
For one thing, buttock-battering can vibrate the pudendal nerve, which can lead to sexual arousal. There are multitudinous other physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can use the resources I've posted if they want to learn more.
Child bottom-battering/slapping vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child bottom-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting","switching","smacking", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr. Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Post a Comment
<< Home