Parents hit kids to discipline them but it is one of the useless techniques used for disciplining kids. Kids have to face a lot of negative repercussions when their parents hit them and such effects are long term. Find more about the negative effects of hitting kids.How to discipline the kids is a hotly debated topic. There are people who believe that a “good hard spanking” is one of the best ways of
disciplining a child. Science has a different story to tell. It says that physical punishment makes changes in the brain- not only does it make the child feel that “I am traumatized” but it also infuses a feeling that “ I have less grey matter in my brain” kind of something.
Turns Children into Hitters
Hitting children transforms them to hitters themselves. Extensive research data is available that advocate the direct correlation between physical
punishment in childhood and violent behaviour in the teenage as well as adult years. Almost all the dangerous criminals were regularly punished in childhood. Children learn attitudes and behaviours by observing and imitating their parent`s actions, either for good or bad. Thus it is the duty of parents to set an example of compassion and wisdom.
Hitting Devalues a Child
The process of development of a child`s self image begins with how he is being perceived by his parents. Even in the most cared and loved atmosphere,
spanking delivers a confusing message, especially if the child is too young to understand the reason why he was whacked. Even a guilt relieving hug from parents after a spank fails to remove the sting. The child feels the hit, inside and out, long after the hug.
Weakens Decision Making Power
Punishment weakens the prospective of a child of learning how to find a solution of a conflict in an effective and humane way. A punished child becomes occupied with anger and revenge, and thus do not get the opportunity of learning how to solve the problems in an effective way. Thus, a punished child does not learn much about how to handle similar kind of situations in times to come.
Hitting May Lead to Abuse
Punishment escalates. A child reaches for a forbidden object and the parent taps his hand as a sign of disapproval. He does it again and this time his hands are snapped. He does it for the third time and this time he gets hit as the parent gets frustrated and loses patience. Punishment prepares ground for
child abuse. Parents who have programmed themselves to punish their kids fail to learn alternatives and switch on to punishment mode immediately after the child misbehaves.
Hitting is Not Associated with Improved Behaviour
We have often heard parents say that the more the kids get spanked the more they misbehave. Spanking worsens a
child`s behaviour. Until a child feels right he will never act right. Spanking simply undermines this principle. The more children misbehave, the more they get spanked the worse they feel. This is a vicious cycle and there is no end to it.
Children often look at punishment as an unfair deed. They are more likely to protest against corporal punishment as compared to other kinds of disciplinary techniques. The sense of unfairness often rises up to a felling of humiliation. In case a child feels humiliated he will either rebel or withdraw.
Learning Wrong Habits
Children learn through the process of parental modelling. Corporal punishment gives them the message that hitting is the most appropriate way of expressing oneself and resolving problems. If a child does not observe parents resolving difficulties in a creative way, it can be a little problematic for her to do this herself. It is due to this reason that unskilled parenting often passes down to next generation.
Spanking Brings Back Bad Memories
A child`s memories of getting beaten up can mar otherwise joyful moments of growing up. People have a tendency of recalling traumatic events in comparison to pleasant ones. It is amazing to see how unpleasant memories of getting beaten up can wipe away those positive memories.
Abusive Behaviour has Long Term Bad Effects
Spanking may leave deep and lasting scars, more lasting than a momentary redness of the bottom. In a study carried for 19 years, researchers found that children who were exposed to corporal punishment, turned out to be more egoistic and antisocial, and that physical abuse became a day to day affair for these children when they grew up.
Spanking Does Not Work
Spanking does not work for kids. Recent studies have proved the futility of spanking. It has been proved that spanking is not an effective disciplinary technique. It has been observed by researchers that thousands of parents who have tried spanking have later reported that it does not work. It works neither for the child nor for the society at large.
Physical punishment or physical abuse disrupts the normal growth of a child. This makes the child more adamant and restless. Spanking as a disciplinary technique can be replaced with other creative and effective ones. This is good for the child, parent and society.
How to avoid hitting kids? Which are the effective ways to discipline kids other than hitting? Why should parents never hit or spank kids? Discuss here.
