Spankings Are Down, Again

I got spanked when I did wrong as a kid and I am glad I did. I learned from my mistakes and grew up learning how to be a respectful human being. The spanking got my attention.

These days that form of punishment has gone to the wayside. Time outs are considered to be a better option and I am not so sure that I agree.

The Georgetown researchers looked specifically at national surveys involving mothers with kindergarten-age kids and found that modern parents across all income levels report spanking their children less than their counterparts in 1988.

For example, the percentage of average-income mothers who endorsed the idea of spanking dropped from 46% in 1988 to 21% in 2011. At the same time, the overall percentage of mothers who backed non-physical time-out punishments rose from 41% to 81%.

One researcher not involved with the study cautions that what parents say they do may be different than what they actually do inside their home.

How do you feel about spanking a child as a form of punishment?