The next time someone is pulled over for a traffic violation the officer, who pulled him over, should spank him and then send him on his way. How realistic does this statement sound? Punishment of children's behavior should be asserted the same way it is to adults. If an adult fractures a law then he or she must either pay a penalty or sit in jail for a certain amount of time without privileges. So why should children be punished in a different manner? Spanking children is risky in a way that it might be harmful to each individual child emotionally and physically. If a policeman were to spank an offender then he would face assault and battery charges. When children are punished with spanking it implies the message that hitting is a way of dealing with problems or anger, it can also lead to behavior problems in the child's life, and can physically be dangerous to their health. These effects of spanking are only a few of the many problems that are derived from slapping a child on the rear. .
Although, spanking is often quoted in the Proverbs 23 in the King James Bible stating, "withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell" (13-14). This one verse of many in the Bible has been debated for several years of the meaning of the word "rod". The "rod" is a staff used by shepherds to help guide sheep along that steer away from their path. In the Bible, people are referred to as sheep metaphorically throughout the entire book. So, if people are "sheep" then the "rod" is a metaphorical tool used in the Bible that refers to any type of discipline to guide a child to the right path as the shepherd did with the sheep. .
The first time a child is spanked he or she gets the message that hitting is a way to deal with anger or frustration. It does not teach them how to rationalize problems with solutions.
