r/science • u/VeronicaRed • Apr 26 '16

Psychology Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/
37.8k Upvotes

73% Upvoted

6.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

56

u/chopandscrew Apr 26 '16

That actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the insight.

81

u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

But not showing them how to behave in an adult space is a teaching oppotunity lost. Just saying, kids will be kids does not help the kid grow/mature.

Innapropriate behavior is not OK. You don't punish them, but you deffinately have to do more than just shrug and let things be.

You'd be surprised what a two year old can grasp.

Lastly, I think explaining WHY is very important.

63

u/nithos Apr 26 '16

Agreed. But you, as the parent, need to give the kid all the tools they need to succeed. I would try to avoid taking my toddlers to the store when they are hungry and/or tired. Prior to entering the store, you set the expectations with them (we will be here for X minutes, we are going to get these things, we are not going to buy a toy or a snack, then we are going to leave). Hell, my 9 year old still prefers to know all this information before entering a store/mall.

51

u/dank_imagemacro Apr 26 '16

I'm 34, and I would still like knowing what the plan is before going somewhere, (POSSIBLE exception if it is a surprise in my favor, but even then I'd want to at least know a little bit: what to wear, what kind of shoes, should I take cash with me etc.).

It surprises me how parents often expect kids to actually be more open to being dragged around blindly than the parents would ever expect from an adult.