Kays Brainwave

Friday, June 30, 2006

Should children be spanked or not?

Well I came across an interesting article in Time Magazine. The article discusses about whether children should be spanked by their parents or not. This is a hot button issue in U.S as most of parents do not spank their kids. But in contrary its a common sight to see parents (and relatives) spanking kids in India. I have thought about this many times, I am always pro to no spanking. But after reading this article I feel that it's not really bad to spank the kids once or twice if the kid did something which he/she is not supposed to do.
A strict no spanking will make the parent loose control over the kid and it will be difficult for the parent to bring up the kid disciplined. But spanking should not be over used. Parents should also be careful on how they behave in front of the children because the children learn from the parents (afterall parents are the first role models for the children). If the parents keep shouting around the house to get work done then the kids will also try doing it if they want something.
People in US follow a interesting way to punish the kids for their wrong deed. Its called 'Time out'. If the kid misbehaves, then the kid is made to stand in a corner or in a room for some definite time. After the time out is over everything is normal, the parents then reasons to the kid about what mistake he/she did and why he/she was punished. This makes the kid realise their mistake and won't repeat it again.
Well I should say that I was lucky to have parents who seldom spanked me. But I still remember the day when my dad spanked me real hard for some mistake that I did'nt do. I think that's the only time I got spanked by my dad.

Varta...

8 Comments:

  • At June 30, 2006 10:54 PM, Blogger prithz said…

    Hey...thnx for dropping by my blog...

    Good topic of discussion... Frankly, as u said, the child must be spanked at certain times, else discipline cannot be instilled in the kid... interesting US punishment... but i wonder how many kids actually stay there patiently..

    p.s. I like the name "KK"... :)

     
  • At July 01, 2006 1:32 AM, Blogger KK said…

    @Prithz - Welcome to my blog...

    Well most of the kids stay in the place religiously until the time is over. I guess that's because it's done since a very small age.

    Nice to know that you like the name 'KK'. Well thats the way I was called by everyone during college days. So I feel nostalgic about that name. :)

     
  • At July 01, 2006 8:35 AM, Blogger KK said…

    @Amimu - Yup, neither do I have an answer :)

     
  • At July 01, 2006 10:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    "Time Out" is not a punishment. It is just a way to get a kid(or infact adult)to get out of their mood, cranky, irritated or whatever it may be, so that they can start thinking rationally and not get carried away by that mood.
    Time out is advised to parents who get very angry, so that, they can sit in a place, think and then respond patiently than in fury when angry.
    I've tried it on my kids and me, and it works.

     
  • At July 01, 2006 10:14 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Spanking is a language of displeasure whenever it is hard to explain the reasoning behind it. Spanking should not cause pain but show only our disapproval. Spanking should also be accompanied by an explanation of what specific action that the kid made. It's about the kid's action rather than the kid himself.

    I normally give my kid a hug or a kiss after a spank, to show him that i still love him but his actions were not acceptable. It has worked well, so far....

     
  • At July 01, 2006 4:06 PM, Blogger KK said…

    @Priya - That's a nice information. I did'nt know the exact intent of this practice as mentioned by you. Its an interesting angle to see it. Thanks for the Information.

    @Tvs - Wow! that's a nice way to deal after a spank.
    But in India spank is intended to be painful. Parents use cane, rulers, etc. to spank the kids. And seldom are the kids explained on what actions bought them a spank.

     
  • At July 03, 2006 8:47 AM, Blogger Has to be me said…

    KK,
    Im against spanking - feel that it can be taught with love. But this is easier to say than to practice!

    This doesnt seem to work well on my son. So i resort to spanking esp when I loose my cool after being patient for quite a while....but ofcourse not in a manner that hurts. Also I try other ways w/o spanking....as a means of punishment. Those work as well. I ignore or do not speak to him & he gets terribly upset abt it & then tries to rectify his mistake & I immediately welcome him with a big hug & kiss. But man, discipling the kids is quite a task! Wonder how our parents managed?!!

     
  • At July 03, 2006 9:38 AM, Blogger KK said…

    @Has to be me - Oh yeah, I agree, I realized how difficult it is to manage kids recently when I visited my sister's house. And you got to be really really cool to keep your cool :)
    Nice to know of your non-spanking methods.
    I too think back and wonder if I was troublesome for my parents when I was a kid. Well all I can remember is I was a quiet kid in front of my parents atleast :)

     

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