VIDEO: Spanking, Is Right or Wrong?

By Amber Ortega on November 19th, 2009

There was recently a poll completed by BabyCenter that asked mothers if they spank their children. Surprisingly, 69 percent of mothers said they DO spank their children. Am I surprised that many mothers spank? Absolutely not. I am surprised that many admitted to it though. Spanking was common years ago, however is currently a sore subject with many.

Many experts believe spanking should never be done and there are other ways to discipline your children. While there are other ways to discipline, are they as effective? Experts say that instead of spanking, parents should use time out or take away privileges. Is a swat on the bottom that big of a deal? Some say it is and causes kids to have self-esteem issues.

Spanking was very common when I was growing up. It didn’t cause self-esteem pills, it taught you to take responsibility for your actions and not act up. If you were out of line, be ready for the consequences. Simple as that. It was unheard of for a parent to simply put their four-year-old in time out for four minutes because they were screaming and throwing a tantrum. If your child was acting up, you took care of it right then and it was done.

If 69 percent of mothers are spanking their children, why is it so looked down upon? If more than half of all mothers are spanking, why is it such a hush hush subject? I understand that some parents don’t know the difference between a swat on the butt and beating their child bu there is a difference. Is that why spanking is looked down upon? Because a few people can’t tell the difference and have gone overboard? Regardless if you spank or not, do what works best for your family. You will know if spanking works best to discipline your child.