Topic - Spanking Haunts A Decade Later
I wrote my doctoral dissertation on corporal punishment because I started my teaching career in Florida in the mid-seventies when spanking and beating kids in schools were the norm. Research has taught us a lot about the consequences of hitting kids. Children physically abused at fifteen months of age show increased aggressiveness and delinquency as well as less empathy at age ten. Both black and white children who were beaten struggled with having poor emotional regulation. This is a fancy way of saying that they can’t control their tempers. Every day, we see the havoc that rage causes. The ways that young children are treated have a powerful impact on their future. If you plant corn, don’t expect tomatoes to grow. If you hit your kids, they’ll hit back at someone. Nurture their positive behaviors and teach them ways to handle anger, frustration and disappointment. Violence isn’t cured by spreading it to others.
