If you have a child that is constantly acting up you might want to consider physical forms of punishment before they end up on an episode of Beyond Scared Straight.

Spanking is a highly debated form of discipline in today’s society.

Usually the type of discipline used depends on your child and their actions. Some children can be handled with a time-out in the corner or by simply understanding the word ‘no.’

Then there are the children who tend to challenge authority and push the limits. In this case it may be necessary to spank them.

Thoroughly evaluating the type of discipline to bestow upon your child is completely the parent or guardians’ choice.

However, it is vital that parents understand that spanking your child does not always have negative results.

There is a huge difference between reasonable corporal punishment and being abused.

Punishments are controlled and purposeful. They can range from a slap on the hand, a flick on the mouth or a spanking. On the other hand, Merriam-Webster dictionary defines abuse as a practice that exhibits physical maltreatment and language that condemns or vilifies in an angry manner.  

About 30 percent of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children and are nine times more likely to engage in criminal activity, according to a non-profit child organization, Childhelp.

It’s safe to say that children grow up to be more violent when they are abused for no apparent reason rather than being spanked every once in a while for something they quickly learn is wrong or inappropriate.

Even with this in mind some people still voice strong opposition against spanking children.

Yet, 81% of Americans believe that parents spanking is sometimes appropriate, according to an article by PR Newswire. It continues to say of the parents who have children in their homes 78% believe spanking is appropriate.

So, why is there such a gap between what experts say and what parents say?

People fail to realize there are a number of other things during a child’s development and teenage years that are more affective to their future such as peer pressure, the media, their environment, and social ideologies.

Children should be cautious about going against the rules. These standards set by their parents teach them respect and to obey authority whether they agree or not. People are faced with decision making throughout their entire lives. Likewise, children have the decision to obey or face the consequences.

It needs to be taught at a young age that you will not get everything you want in life. Children need to learn that there are rules and limits to the way they act both inside and outside the household in which they are raised. This teaches them the idea of restraint.  

According to The Kansas City Star, a proposed spanking bill that was introduced by Rep. Gail Finney will not get a hearing.

The article states the bill was intended to provide guidance for enforcement officials, attorneys, judges, parents, and others who have expressed their confusion by specifically allowing parents to hit their children hard enough to the point of bruising or redness. It also gave parents’ permission for teachers to spank their children.

The proposed guidelines seem as though the bill is too cruel and the initial response is to oppose the bill. If this bill had passed, any confusion between what’s acceptable in regards to spanking a child and what is considered abuse would be cleared.

Spanking is not always the method that needs to be administered. However, when yelling, taking toys away, sending them to the corner, and counting to three does not work then spanking is obviously needed to set a rebellious child straight. 

-Chelsea Keyes is a sophomore communication major from Tacoma. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.