When parents and carers use corporal punishment including smacking, children might grow up believing that violence is normal in relationships. Children might fear that they’ll be punished again and avoid spending time with their parents as a result.įinally, children learn about all relationships from the interactions they have with their parents and carers. But children might think their parents are really saying, ‘I’m angry with you and I don’t like you’.Īnd when parents use corporal punishment, the time that families share together can feel stressful and negative for children. When parents smack children, they’re often trying to say, ‘You’ve done the wrong thing – behaving that way isn’t OK’. These feelings can cause children to lose trust and confidence in their parents.Ĭorporal punishment can also send a harmful message to children about how their parents feel about them. Instead, they might feel confusion, fear, anger, shame and sadness. This happens for several reasons.Ĭhildren don’t always understand why they’re being smacked. Children’s relationships: harm caused by corporal punishment including smackingĬorporal punishment can harm parents’ relationships with their children. This reinforces children’s positive behaviour and makes them more likely to repeat it. You play an important role in guiding your child’s behaviour by giving them positive attention when they’re behaving in positive ways. But they might not learn that lying hurts other people or makes it hard for other people to trust them. Also, if children get smacked for lying, they might try not to get caught lying in future. It’s best for children’s learning and development if they can choose to behave positively because it’s good for them and others, not because they’re afraid of being physically hurt.īut corporal punishment including smacking makes it harder for children to learn and develop well.įor example, it can make children angry, anxious and less likely to listen to parents. Children’s learning and development: harm caused by corporal punishment including smacking Children need attention and are more likely to behave in ways that get attention, even if it’s unpleasant attention. It’s also a strong emotional response and often involves close physical contact. That’s because smacking is a form of attention. In fact, corporal punishment including smacking can accidentally encourage behaviour or make it worse. react more positively – for example, to admit to mistakes and ask for help, rather than trying to hide mistakes.behave appropriately – for example, to understand that yelling is OK when you’re playing in the park but probably not OK inside when other people are around.manage their emotions in safe ways – for example, to recognise when they’re getting frustrated and decide how to respond to that emotion.That’s because it doesn’t help children learn to: But corporal punishment doesn’t help them behave well over the long term. Corporal punishment including smacking: why it doesn’t work as a response to behaviourĬhildren might quickly stop what they’re doing when they’re smacked. teach children to use violence in their relationships with others.Įven mild physical punishment isn’t safe for children.Ĭorporal punishment isn’t safe for children because sometimes parents end up using increasingly severe punishment when what they’re already doing isn’t working.damage children’s relationships with their parents or carers.make it harder for children to learn and develop well.pushing, pinching, shaking or dragging childrenĬorporal punishment harms children.hitting children with objects like spoons or belts.Corporal punishment: what it is and why it’s harmful to childrenĬorporal or physical punishment means using physical pain to change or control behaviour.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |