Physical Punishment Of Children Should Be Legal

Physical Punishment of Children Should be Legal Name Professor Date Introduction Physical punishment is the act of inflicting deliberate pain and discomfort to a child as a reaction to undesired behavior by the child. It was acceptable all over the world since it was considered as an appropriate means of producing behavioral obedience. Over 70% of Americans agreed in 2012 that sometimes it is required to discipline a child through spanking. Historically, it has been the right and duty of parents to physically punish misbehaving children as a way of teaching appropriate conduct. There are several countries and states which allows parents to punish their children physically. Physical punishment such as smacking enables the parents to efficiently control their children behaviors, instill good morals and stop annoying characters such as rudeness and disrespect. Physical punishment is a discipline method used to cause a child to experience some pain to correct his or her unacceptable behavior. A parent can apply the punishment by using objects like a cane, belt or maybe a shoe to hit the child. Other parents may also opt to talk to their child in case of misbehavior instead of physical punishment because they consider it corporal. This paper discusses the main reasons as to why the physical punishment of children needs to be considered legal. Impact on Determination The first argument is that it has a deterrent effect on the child. This is because when the child is physically punished, more so in front of his or her peers due to misbehavior did, he or she will never repeat it(Saunders & Goddard,2010).They become afraid of the punishment and thus very obedient and behaves right. This, therefore, creates a permanent lesson that a child learns. A second argument is that it is a contributing factor to the child’s success in future. Although it may cause a lot of harm from their parental hitting, they learn a lot of valuable lessons that benefit them in their adult lives (Potts & Mandleco, 2012). An example, are the modern parents who are using this method to discipline their children. This is because their parents applied it to them when they misbehaved and thus growing up very healthy and more productive to the society. They consider this a success, and that is why they can not hesitate when it comes to disciplining their children. The third argument for the support of physical discipline is that it brings a clear understanding of the child that he or she was wrong and needs to correct. There is this particular age of between two to six years were talking to this kind of child is like a waste of time. This is mainly because they will not understand that they have misbehaved thus they are highly endangered by the repetition of the misbehavior (Wright et al. 2014). Therefore physical punishment is the only language this kind of children can understand instantaneously. Since physical punishment has an instant result to the child, it is better to apply it instead of wasting time in the name of talking to the child to change. Lastly, physical punishment makes the child more responsible and determined. This is due to the pain that was experienced by the child because of the previous misbehavior. The child gets scared of the punishment again thus becomes responsible for his or her behavior. It is also discovered that the most successful people in the society are those that were punished physically in their early lives while still young. Impact on Success Researchers have suggested that children who are physically punished by their parents through smacking may grow to be happy and are also likely to become more successful than children who were spared from physical discipline. Additionally, studies have found that children who are physically punished up to the age of six years performed better in school and they were also more optimistic than those children who were spared by their parents (Wardrop, 2010). For example, smacking children may facilitate them to understand their responsibilities in school, and this can contribute to better performance. Based on these findings parents should be legally allowed to use the physical form of punishment because not only does it help in improving children behaviors but also facilitate them to become optimistic and prosperous. In the United States, parents are allowed to hit their children across all the fifty states. However, what constitutes physical punishment varies across different states. For example in Delaware, the law prohibits parents from hitting their children with a closed fist, while in other states such as Alabama and Arizona parents are allowed to use reasonable and appropriate physical force (Nicks, 2014). It is also important to note that the extent to which the force used is reasonable and appropriate depends on the case law existing in each state and judges’ interpretation. In England, smacking is illegal, but section 58 of the Children Act 2004 provides a legal defense of reasonable punishment. Therefore parents and legal guardians are legally allowed to smack their children which is physical punishment. Additionally, babysitters and nannies are allowed to hit children in England if they are permitted by the parents (Hosie, 2017). Parents should be legally allowed to use physical punishment because this technique leads to immediate behavior change and a child may be keen not to involve him or herself in activities which are likely to attract more punishment (Frankie, 2018). For example, if a child is physically punished for misbehaving, he or she is expected not to indulge in activities which may result in more punishment. It is essential for countries to allow parents to use ...