Corporal Punishments to Kids: How Pertinent? How Effective?

Vinay Bhati
3 min readFeb 10, 2021
Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash

I was reading another one of Ruskin Bond on a very sunny day. Suddenly, my sister came onto the terrace, blabbering about my mom. The words were NOT SO suitable as far as toddlers are concerned. I asked the reason for her anger, she replied, " Every time she slaps me." I asked if it is about the mom. She replied, " As usual, she took my phone and slapped me for nothing."

Suddenly, I started wondering whether it is always pertinent to beat a child every time, can’t we teach them on just a strict note?

Corporal Punishment

Corporal Punishment often referred to as Physical Punishment is punishing minors for any misdeeds or undesirable behaviour of them. Smacking, Slapping, Whipping etc. are some of the types of Corporal Punishments. Seen as a way to discipline a child, it is prevalent in the whole world as of now. In countries like India, China, Italy, Kenya, Philippines, etc., the acceptance for Physical Punishment is deeply rooted in the cultural values.

In a 2009 survey, about 8.4% of students received Corporal Punishments alone in Mississippi, USA.

Photo by Hailey Kean on Unsplash

Doesn’t Always Work

Although, children can be controlled promptly using these methods doesn’t mean they necessarily behave in the desired way.

In numerous studies, it has been found that children who were subjected to such punishments showed more signs of Violence and Disobedience as compared to their counterparts.

Mr Kumar, father of two boys whose sons have never been subjected to such punishments admits that his sons listen to him with more precision whenever he stricts up his tone with them. He believes that as he has never used any harsh methods to teach them, they never fail to sense if they have committed anything wrong by his mere voice note. Same goes with many other families who believe in teaching their kids without being much harsh.

Effects of Physical Punishment

Many believe if the children get used to such treatments they just won't listen if we ask them anything without being strict. It can affect minors very severely. They tend to show signs of Disagreement by yelling and breaking things and again feel low after finding it ineffective. Researchers have seen various symptoms of Corporal Punishment in minors including Mental Problems, Aggressive Behaviour and Cognitive Difficulties.

It is also noticed that minors often remember these horrific incidents of their lives in much details rather than any other pleasant moment. It also gives them a sense of detestation with their guardians.

Usually, they start fearing their elders rather than respecting them or feeling a sense of security along with them which can tantamount to poor parenting.

Ways to Discipline a Child without hitting

It is seen that by mere explaining the source of parent’s anger to the child can reduce his mistakes. You tell him what annoys you and he will simply take care of the same.

Seek the cause of your Child’s inappropriate actions and half of the problem is solved. Listening to your child will enable him to share his thoughts and problems which can resolve the issues.

Praising for Good Works can motivate the child to behave in a more etiquette way.

Sometimes ignorance can play a subtle role too.

Remember: You are the parent and No One knows better than you what to ignore and what not to.

Keeping everything balanced will bring out the best results as exactly what we maintain while cooking.

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Vinay Bhati

Vinay is a Freelance Writer, A CA Student, A Prolific Thinker who loves to share his views on diverse facets to his reading folks.