Corporal punishment, or in layman terms, using physical violence as a means for punishment, is still debated in our region of the world. You cannot imagine how many times I have heard statements similar to "I was beaten by my parents, and look at me now", as a supportive statement for the use of physical punishment. I will not address such a statement, but I will try to explain briefly the lessons a child learns from corporal punishment.
- Corporal punishment will teach a child fear. Fear may result in immediate change in behavior, but fear will not be a motivator nor a lesson in why such a change should be made.
- Corporal punishment will NOT lead to cognitive awareness and acceptance of behavior change.
- Corporal punishment can lead to lower self-esteem and feelings of helplessness.
- Corporal punishment is the antithesis of respect. Your child may fear you, but s/he will not respect you.
- Corporal punishment teaches your child that it is O.K. to lose your temper and hit someone. A lesson, many parents often regret when the school year begins.
- Corporal punishment may teach a child that a behavior was unacceptable, but doesn't give the child alternative ways of action(positive behavior).
- Corporal punishment will teach the child that s/he is able to trigger a reaction from you. They will soon learn that they are more in control than you are.
- Corporal punishment is a form of child abuse, and is punishable in most countries who have established infrastructure and child protection laws.
This is a brief look at some of the most common results to the use of corporal punishment. There is more to say, but I leave it to you dear readers to draw your own conclusions and make up your own minds. The image below (which I have used in a previous post) represents the title of today's post:
Harsh punishment does not lead to the desired goal rather it increases the gap. Children are like soft wax and they are shaped in effective and solid personalities by parents. Inappropriate handling and hard blows to the soft wax will not result in what you want. Instead of driving them away hold them in your grip and mold them as you want. If they feel that they are accepted and understood unconditionally they will be more open and honest with you. There are so many ways to make them realize their unacceptable and inappropriate behaviors. Use them so that your children accept your guidance , your treatment strategies with open mind.
ReplyDeleteWell said!
ReplyDeleteAH! you got me there.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, the title gave me goosebumps. You're so right!
Thank you for reading and sharing Latifa x
ReplyDelete