ABCnews reports on a rethinking of the advice to “spare the rod and spoil the child.”
Marc Lallanilla writes (excerpt):
“Spanking children under the age of 2 puts those children into a higher risk group for behavioral problems later,” says Eric P. Slade, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-author of a study appearing in this month’s issue of Pediatrics
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Slade advises parents of very young children to look at the circumstances that lead to physical punishment.
“Parents need to use their judgment about how spanking is used in their family and if spanking is obtaining the behavior they’re looking for,” he adds.
There are also lessons for teachers and school administrators in the study.
“Educators should know there’s a disciplinary history that precedes when they see children in school,” says Slade. “There’s a long history stretching back very early into the child’s life.”