COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SPANKING OF CHILDREN

1) In your practice, what is defined as Child Abuse?
A. The mistreatment of child is; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect as defined by law and community standards. Community standards are very liberal because some people believe beating a child is not abuse. Beating to the extreme is abuse. There are others who believe yelling at a child is abuse.

2) In your practice, would you define spanking as Child Abuse?
A. There is no definitive answer. When administering corporal punishment and use an object to hit with which leaves several marks, then yes, it should be considered abuse. When a loving, functional and caring parent spanks a child with an open hand to get their attention, then discusses their behavior, I would say no, it should not be considered abuse.

3) People have a variety of definitions of spanking. What is your personal definition?
A. I define spanking as anytime you hit a child for disciplinary reasons. A parent should only spank a child with an open hand on the fleshy part of a child's bottom. Never slap a child in the face, hit them with an object or punch them with a closed fist. A parent must always be in control of themselves and their environment before ever spanking their child. A parent who is emotional should take some time to calm down and consider the different options of discipline. Only after calming down and weighing the options should a parent decide which form of discipline they should use.

4) In your opinion, is spanking ever justified as a discipline measure?
A. Under some circumstances, it could be, but it's not for me to decide. I think that spanking is a cop-out because it is easier then taking the time to analyze the situation and weigh other options of discipline. Inflicting pain on a living thing is wrong and only in most extreme cases is it justifiable. I never want to define the extreme case.

5) Many people believe spanking is a good form of discipline. Others do not. How would you solve this problem in society?
A. I do not believe that this is a problem. This is a matter of opinion. As I have already mentioned, spanking is a cop-out. Taking away TV or other privileges is more work for the parent then spanking. I would like to think that our society is more evolved than to have to inflict pain on a child for any disciplinary reason.

6) If you saw a parent spanking their children in public, would you do anything?
A. It depends on how severe the spanking was. If I saw someone beating a child and I thought it was severe, yes, I would intervene. If I saw a child in a supermarket being spanked because he was acting extremely disruptive, I probably would not intervene.