Smacking Your Kid Is Good For Him

Back when the Wisdom of Solomon really meant something, folks used corporal punishment to correct their children, and it was commonly understood that if you “spare the rod” you would “spoil the child.” Since the dawn of history, parents have been spanking their kids, with generally salutary results. And now, a new scientific study has found that kids smacked before the age of 6 grew up to be happier and more successful than those who have never been hit, and that there never was enough evidence to say that smacking harms most kids.

The study, by Marjorie Gunnoe, professor of Psychology at Michigan’s Calvin College, found that children receiving corporal punishment performed better in school, were more likely to go to college, and were more likely to do volunteer work. Dr. Gunnoe questioned 2,600 people about being smacked, of whom a quarter had never been physically chastised. The participants' answers then were compared with their behavior, such as academic success, optimism about the future, antisocial behavior, violence and bouts of depression. Teenagers in the survey who had been smacked only between the ages of two and six performed best on all the positive measures.

Psychologist Aric Sigman told the London Daily Mail: “The idea smacking and violence are on a continuum is a bizarre and fetished view of what punishment is for most parents. If it's done judiciously by a parent who is normally affectionate and sensitive to their child, our society should not be up in arms about that. Parents should be taught to distinguish this from a punch in the face.”

Actually, the old adage “Spare the rod, spoil the child” is an adaptation of several verses from King Solomon's book of Proverbs:

    ● He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. (Proverbs 13:24)

    ● Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. (Proverbs 19:18)

    ● "Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell." (Proverbs 23:13-14)

    ● Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. (Proverbs 22:15)

A more accurate exegesis of these passages reveals that the “rod” Solomon was referring to was similar to our words “frond,” or “switch;” and not the iron rod used to punish adult criminals. In any event, this method of child-rearing worked pretty well throughout most of history.

Then, in the latter half of the last century, along came Dr. Benjamin Spock, with his bestseller “Baby and Child Care;” condemning corporal punishment of children and advocating measures to build “self esteem” in the little buggers. With absolutely no valid scientific research, the child psychology and social work industries latched on to this bogus concept and began telling parents and teachers that lack of “self esteem” was the root cause of all childish misbehavior, and that physical punishment was counterproductive and cruel.

Ignoring the entire history of theology and ethical philosophy, the self esteem mongers want us to believe that pride—the deadliest of all vices—is somehow a virtue; and that adolescent mischief is occasioned by a lack of hubris. This inane concept has even begun to infect legislative bodies: corporal punishment of children is currently banned in 20 European countries, including Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. And two years ago, Britain was criticized by the United Nations for failing to ban spanking in the home, after “experts” convinced the UN it was a form of “abuse.”

Fortunately for Kentucky’s children, this silliness has not yet spread to the Bluegrass State. Kentucky Revised Statute § 503.110 provides that a parent, guardian, teacher, or other person charged with the care and supervision of a minor can use force if he believes that force is necessary for the welfare of the child; and the force used is not designed to cause or known to cause a substantial risk of death, serious physical injury, disfigurement, extreme pain, or extreme mental distress.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that about 90 percent of U.S. parents spank, and about 59 percent of pediatricians in a 1992 survey said they support the practice. According to the academy, effective discipline has three key components: first, a loving, supportive relationship between parent and child; second, use of positive reinforcement when children behave well; and third, use of punishment when children misbehave. Many parents these days are fearful of using spanking as punishment, either because of the law or because they fear it teaches violence to their kids.

Of course there are still some physicians and psychologists who suggest that spanking is detrimental and leads to family violence and child abuse. They claim that spanking teaches physically aggressive behavior which the child will imitate. But according to the National Institute for Healthcare Research, research shows that more than 80 percent of the professional publications attacking spanking were reviews and commentaries, rather than quantitative research. When analyzing the small portion of quantitative studies that included spanking, more than 90 percent of these studies lumped together mild forms of spanking with severe forms of physical abuse without discussing why they did so. Thus, the professional organizations which advocated outlawing spanking evidently made their decisions without the benefit of the facts. Mild spanking and severe child abuse are not the same thing.

As might be expected, the leftists over at the Daily Kos went absolutely ballistic when they heard about the results of Dr. Gunnoe’s research. Blogger “Detroit Mike” went straight to the heart of the issue: “Marjorie Gunnoe is a Psych Prof, all right. From Grand Rapids Michigan. And anyone who knows anything about Michigan knows that Grand Rapids is a hot bed of rightist christian (sic., lower case in original) zealots… Having christians (sic.) with a political agenda popping up in odd places has become commonplace. Like for example, the scientific community; circles wherein you could just as easily be stabbed in the back by an Evolution-hating christian (sic.) one minute, and have them lecturing on biology on campus the next. Yes, they don't make you say you denounce your garbage beliefs before teaching our children.”

Like most of the pseudo-scientific theories being pushed by leftists in this country and around the world, the anti-spanking crusade is heavy on theory and emotion and light on rigorous scientific fact. Now that the “spanking leads to adult violence” myth has been exposed as the silly hoax it is, don’t look for the liberal press to abandon its orthodoxy. Look for the left to respond with vitriol, ad hominem attacks, and a parade of “experts”—from Oprah to Dr. Phil—who will accuse Dr. Gunnoe of apostasy. It was ever thus.