Therapists’ Reasons Why Parents Should Not Hit Their Child

It is normal for parents to sometimes feel out of control and full of emotions. They can also sometimes feel a little off-the-hook and upset about some unexpected things they experienced that same day. As for having children, it can be a struggle for emotional control because parents sometimes do the unthinkable to their kids when they are not cooperating. Thus, the children’s misbehavior often results in a solid good-old spank.

Though most kids duly acknowledge that spanking is related to their unwanted behavior, therapists believe that parents should not hit their children at any cost. There are several reasons why these professionals often suggest the probation of spanking; here are some of them.

Source: pixabay.com

Understanding The Damages Of Hitting Or Spanking Your Kids

It Impacts Gap In The Parent-Child Relationship

Most parents are confident that spanking or hitting their children is a necessity. They believe it is part of the disciplining process that helps children learn. However, professional experts suggest that hitting children does not support the resolution. Instead, it only damages the parent-child relationship. Experts also added that children somehow consider spanking a form of abuse, and the only reason kids seem to be ok with it is the fear of experiencing constant physical pain. Kids will soon think and feel that their parents do not love them and eventually suffer from mental and emotional distress.

It Brings Down Children’s Self-Confidence

There are instances when parents take control of their kids’ emotional states, especially when the children are getting out of control. For practical reasons, parents hit their kids to let them know they are in charge. However, that mentality only serves a negative impact on children’s self-confidence. The more parents are bound to spank kids whenever they want to control them, the more reason for the children to think that they do not deserve respect and love. Soon, these kids will feel hopeless and full of doubt about themselves. They will eventually lose their self-confidence and will rely on other people’s perceptions of them – whether good or bad.

Source: pixabay.com

It Causes Children’s Anxiety And Depression

While most parents would argue about the severity of spanking necessary for their kids’ misbehavior, spanking still provides kids with physical pain. With this, most experts and therapists believe that the physical manifestation increases children’s inability to understand the purpose of spanking. Often, due to the unbearable pain and fear of it, children eventually develop severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Therefore, whenever parents think spanking is ok, kids’ mental and emotional health says otherwise. It makes them confused about what they have to do in a particular situation.

It Gives Children A Wrong Definition Of Learning

Parents resort to spanking because it is sometimes easy and practical. It immediately shows the result just right after one hit. However, while most parents think of spanking as an effective tool for disciplining misbehavior, kids look at it differently. For most children, it means power. When parents hit their kids, it gives the youngsters the idea that weak or little people deserve to be treated that way. It often explains why some kids who experienced spanking also want to practice their authority over other little or weaker ones. The kids will soon think that hitting or causing physical pain to others is what will bring them the kind of resolution to the misunderstood relationship issue.

It Encourages Children’s Rebellious Behavior

Parents often do not think about future problems when hitting their kids, especially the young ones. They believe that since the children are young, they would never feel the need to object to physical punishment. However, professionals believe that kids who often experience spanking are prone to becoming rebellious individuals. They will soon struggle to handle their relationship with other people when they grow up. In some unfortunate instances, it might affect their mental and emotionally distraught and cause these young ones to engage in immorality, profanity, violence, bullying, truancy from school, and alcohol and drugs.

Source: pixabay.com

It Causes Children To Suffer Disorders

While some parents still consider spanking to be a way of handling kids’ inappropriate manners, most professionals do not encourage it and often provide a warning. Study shows that hitting children or causing them to feel physical pain at an early age can become one of the reasons for having ADHD. In some instances, severe levels of abuse eventually cause bipolar disorder, personality disorder, severe trauma, and PTSD. Children may also defy their parents and resulting in aggression and antisocial behavior.

Final Thoughts

As a parent, you wouldn’t want to give your kids an unwanted gift for life that will ruin their overall mental, physical, and emotional state. Spanking or hitting children does not make a difference. It does not teach the kids to become more self-aware and does not bring you closer to them. Spanking is just another way of saying that you are stressed out, and you want the kids to suffer for it. Remember that no such thing will justify the physical abuse, nor give the parents the right of reason to hit their children.