Raising Good Kids Without Hitting |
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Dear Editor;
SpankOut Day USA is held each year on April 30th during National child Abuse and Prevention Month to bring widespread attention to the need to end corporal punishment of children. On this day, parents and caregivers are asked to think about ways to discipline children to help them become caring, responsible, and productive adults without the use of corporal punishment.
Discipline is important. Discipline means to "teach" and involves giving children instruction in what is expected and praise for doing what they have been taught. It involves correcting misbehavior by speaking to children in respectful ways. Talking works better than hitting. Corporal punishment is not respectful of children. It doesn't work the way some parents think it does. It might stop misbehavior for the moment but it isn't an effective way of changing behavior in the long term. The more children are hit, the more likely they are to become bullies, to hit friends and family members and to hit spouses and their children when they are adults.
Communities provide opportunities for helping parents learn about positive discipline. Public libraries have books on positive discipline. Many churches, schools and community organizations provide positive discipline programs.
On SpankOut Day USA April 30th, we congratulate parents who do not use corporal punishment. We ask parents who use corporal punishment to seek positive discipline programs and books in their communities to help them raise children to be healthy, caring and responsible adults without hitting.
EPOCH-USA suggests that parents reflect on some basic rules of good discipline:
Teach rather than punish.
Establish simple rules with logical consequences.
Be consistent.
Be kind but firm.
Think of misbehavior as a mistake.
Be a good example to children.
Never hit children.
(Your name, address and telephone number)