Definition Essay - Grade A PDF

Preview

Summary

Definition Essay defining child abuse and arguing why spanking is a form of discipline rather than child abuse....

Description

1

Spanking is not Child Abuse

Geoffrey Dellinger College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University ENG-106: English Composition II Dr. Alden February 4, 2022

Spanking is not Child Abuse 50 years ago, spanking was considered a societal norm and an effective form of discipline for your children, but, in an ever changing society, the method of spanking is being painted as no longer a form of discipline, but rather child abuse. Spanking is the product of caring parents who desire to teach their children that there is consequences for doing wrong and misbehaving. Spanking is not child abuse because child abuse is a horrible act that involves the maltreatment or neglect of a child by a parent or caregiver. Spanking also does not involve excessive physical and emotional harm like child abuse. Lastly, spanking does not result in long term psychological trauma. As spanking does not fit these criteria of child abuse, it is made clear that spanking is not child abuse. Unlike spanking, child abuse is a horrible act that involves maltreatment of a child by a parent or caregiver. The World Health organization defines child abuse as “all types of physical and or emotional ill-treatment…which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, or dignity in context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.”(“Child Maltreatment,”2020, para 1) Child abuse is never acceptable and causes long lasting damage to the child, whereas spanking is a parents effort to discipline their child correctly. Author for CNN.com, Ruben Navarrette, argues that “Punishment isn’t a bad word. It’s a life lesson. It’s the way the world works, and, as parents, it’s our job to prepare our kids to enter a world where they learn bad behavior has consequences.” (Navarrette, 2014, para 11) Spanking does not cause any physical or emotional harm and by no means threatens the child’s health, survival, or dignity in the context of the relationship. If spanking is used correctly it is a tool to be used for discipline and betterment of the child, far from maltreatment. The act of spanking does not involve excessive physical and emotional harm that could be classified as child abuse. Author for PsychologyToday.com, Elise M. Howard defines and

2

Spanking is not Child Abuse

3

example of child abuse as “Striking your child with an object, a fist, or another part of your body with the intention of harm (with the exception of “reasonable parental discipline)” (Howard, 2018, para 3) Excessive physical and emotional damage are not caused by spanking. A staff writer from The Columbus Dispatch suggests “Discipline and spanking are useful only when administered from a young age, with a long-term goal of correcting behavior.” (The Columbus Dispatch, 2013, para 6) When implemented correctly, spanking is an effective short-term consequence for children who are disobedient and misbehaving. Aside from extreme cases, spanking does not cause physical or emotional harm and rather is a useful disciplinary method. The act of spanking to discipline your child does not result in long term psychological trauma that is inflicted from child abuse. Author Martin H. Teicher M.D., Ph.D. explains in his article “Wounds That Time Won’t Heal: The Neurobiology of Child Abuse” that “Research on the effects of early maltreatment, including the work of my colleagues and myself at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, appears to tell a different story: that early maltreatment, even exclusively psychological abuse, has enduring negative effects on brain development.” (Teicher, 2000, para 2) The act of spanking does not cause psychological trauma and rather, can positively affect children later in life. An author from CTVNews references that “A new U.S. study that has drawn criticism from rights advocates says children who are spanked may grow up to be happier, more productive adults.” (CTVNews, 2010, para 1) Spanking is not a form of child abuse as there is no psychological damage caused. Spanking acts as an effective form of discipline for children and can be psychologically beneficial, later on in a child’s life. While the case can be made that spanking is not child abuse, some would still argue that it is physically abusive and too harsh of a punishment for children. Contributor for Fatherly.com, Dr. Julie Ma, states that “If spanking is not physical abuse how do we define it? The line we’re

Spanking is not Child Abuse

4

trying to draw is theoretically impossible.” (Coleman, 2021, para 2) Ma is arguing that spanking is essentially child abuse and should no longer be considered an acceptable form of discipline for children. On the contrary, author Elisa Cinelli for verywellfamily.com, who defines spanking as a form of discipline rather than abuse, continues her argument saying: “discipline differs from abuse because it is used intentionally and within perceived reason.” (Cinelli, 2021, para 5) Rather than being considered child abuse, spanking should be considered discipline. This is because spanking comes from caring parents who simply want to teach their children that there is consequences for doing wrong or misbehaving. Therefore, the assumption that spanking is physically abusive and too harsh for children is incorrect and spanking is, in fact, not child abuse. Spanking is not child abuse as it does not fit any of the criteria of child abuse. Spanking is not a horrible act that involves the maltreatment or neglect of a child by a parent or caregiver like child abuse is. Spanking also does not involve excessive physical and emotional harm like child abuse. Lastly, spanking does not result in long term psychological trauma that can be a product of child abuse. Spanking is merely a form of discipline used by parents who seek to teach, and is not intended to harm the child in excess at all. In this ever changing society, so many things that were previously considered acceptable are being cancelled and taken away, this essay proves that spanking is not child abuse and should still be used as an effective form of discipline for children of generations to come.

Spanking is not Child Abuse References Hamilton County Job and Family Services. (2019, April 12). The Difference Between Discipline and Abuse. In Hamilton County Job and Family Services. Retrieved from https://www.hcjfs.org/services/child-protection/know-the-difference-between-disciplineand-abuse/

World Health Organization. (2020, June 8). Child maltreatment. In World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-maltreatment

Navarrette, R. (2014, September 8). Spanking isn’t child abuse; it’s common sense. In CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/opinion/navarrette-spankingkids/index.html

Howard, E. M. (2018, October 22). What Is Considered Child Abuse?. In Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parent-s-guide-children-stherapy/201810/what-is-considered-child-abuse

Ward, K. P. (2021, August). Multilevel ecological analysis of the predictors of spanking across 65 countries. In Pro Quest. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/docview/2559973232? accountid=7374&parentSessionId=seinaE8LmhHiUqxKsP8%2BqFm %2F5GkirStTOdHS%2FhJ60Kk%3D

5

Spanking is not Child Abuse Done right, spanking is useful for discipline. (2013, October 26). In The Columbia Dispatch. Retrieved from https://amp.dispatch.com/amp/24005240007

6...