Traditional Punishment Isn't Necessary

When you think of a traditional timeout, some things that might pop into your head are an angry talking to, a spanking or a “Now you sit in that corner and think about what you did.” Within the older generations such as Baby Boomers and Gen X, corporal punishment was the usual disciplinary action given to children. After experiencing these things as children themselves, these older generations grew up with the idea that the only way to get your point across to children was to harm them. Corporal punishment by definition is the physical punishment, including spanking, slapping, and hitting, for wrong doings. It has the potential to turn into regular abuse.

Traditional punishment isn’t just physical; it's also shown through verbal attacks that could lead to mental abuse. According to the National Children’s Alliance, 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 13 boys are abused in the US, whether it be maltreatment, physical, mental or other abuses. Traditional or corporal punishment creates barriers between the child and parent, causing obvious relationship strain. These children become afraid of making mistakes or doing poorly from the experiences of the harsh consequences. Devastating effects continue into adulthood, including addiction, mental illness, instability, isolation and unhealthy relationship habits.

Developing data from the Children’s Advocacy Center shows that 80% of those abused meet the basis for mental illness when over the age of 21. Punishments are not something that should be feared though. When raising children and teens, discipline is required to educate them. Punishments are a mere way of teaching a child right from wrong. Traditional or corporal punishments, however, are wrong and lead to poor conditions for a child. 

Although modern parenting may be perceived as soft by previous generations, proper moral ethics have been incorporated in disciplinary philosophies through the years in an effort to create better family relationships. Parental guidance instead of corrections harbors more effective ways of regimen supporting more emotionally mature children. By practicing communication instead of criticism, parents allow their child to understand and fix their mistakes for the future. 

Strictness can be regarded as either necessary or useless. It is not an inherent problem, but it can be the cause of a possibly violent trend in family histories. Overused practices leading to abuses of all kinds, and thus the downfall of the child, are the errors of parenting. Through acceptance, reaffirment and understanding, this pattern can be fixed.