I think any parent could tell you that sometimes you just have to spank a kid. After all, sometimes children will not listen to reason, because they’re kids. Sometimes, to get them to not do something dangerous or extra-annoying in public, your only course of action is to make them run the circle of spanking. However, frequent spanking of children tends to lead to aggressive behavior, according to a study led by Catherine Taylor of Tulane University.
The research covered 2,500 children, and found that those getting spanked the most at age 3 were significantly likely to be more aggressive than peers by age 5. Even after accounting for all the various factors that can contribute to childhood aggression, including parental violence, neglect, and all the rest, there was still a significant connection between spanking and aggression. Child psychologists believe that this is because spanking a child teaches fear, but doesn’t make them understand why their behavior is bad. Plus, that means the parent models bad behavior for the child.
The key, as always, is moderation. You have to spank your kids just the right amount for it to work! Too much is bad, because it damages them psychologically. Too little is bad, because then your kids don’t fear your vengeance!
Tags: spanking, spanking leads to aggressive behavior, Tulane University, research, child behavioral studies, child psychology, Catherine Taylor, spanking more often leads to more aggressive behavior, parenting