After a failure to repeal the spanking laws (Section 43 of the criminal code) in 2004, Prime Minister Trudeau is now bringing the spanking debate into 2016 as part of the recommendations that came out from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Everyone is going to have their own opinion and both sides have relevant arguments for whether spanking is a valid form of disciplining children.
As a kid, I only remember getting physical disciplined twice.
For the most part, spanking was only used in extreme situations and was not the go to form of punishment.
First, it was a verbal reprimand, sending me to my room, and other forms of discipline.
It was only after that didn’t work that they brought out spanking as a deterrent. Even then the fear of getting spanked was enough motivation to stop and listen to my parents.
It is an effective motivational tool even without using it but you do have to discuss what it does to promote violence in children.
Not every parent is going to explore other options before resorting to physical discipline so how often are they spanking their children?
As per the code, is it reasonable for spanking to be used sparingly, not to physically harm your child but only for corrective behavior.
In a Globe and Mail article about spanking, one woman said she spanked her child for running out into the middle of the street.
This was not a matter of a small misdemeanor but could have been more serious. In this case, you want your child to learn that what they did was wrong.
Another question to ask is how far is the government allowed to go to say one form of discipline is acceptable while another is not?
Right now, it is a choice of the parent to discipline as they see fit and the line between discipline and abuse is rather distinctive.
A lot of the reasoning for spanking or not spanking comes down to whether you believe it does harm or good.
Non-spankers believe that spanking does more harm than good.
According to these parents, it can make kids more violent and teach them that being violent is a solution to problems.
And there are alternatives ways of disciplining children, like taking away an item, more chores or other repercussions, going to the corner or their room.
One person I talked to; and I’ve heard this story from multiple parents, said that her child laughs at her when she sends her to her room.
Are these other forms of discipline enough to teach kids respect, especially kids who need more discipline than others?
Who is to say that other forms of discipline do more harm even without the spanking.
I did not love my parents any less for spanking me and I am pretty sure I am not a serial killer for it either. But I am one person with minimal spanking experience, who is to say how I would have turned out without the spanking,
To spank or not to spank, any kind of evidence to support either claim is hard to prove.
Non-spanking parents cannot exactly say that children become more violent, they can just point to child abuse numbers and use them to back up their point.
According to the government however, there is a fine definition of spanking versus abuse.
In 2010, there was 750,000 cases of physical abuse that do not include spanking parents so it is very hard to measure.
One thing that I think must be said about spanking is that a spanking parent does not exactly love their child any less than parents who do not spank their kids.
Section 43 of the Criminal Code:
Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.
The words “by way of correction” in s. 43 means that the use of force must be sober and reasoned, address actual behaviour, and be intended to restrain, control, or express symbolic disapproval.
