Discipline vs Child Abuse
What if there was an even bigger never ending argument than paper or plastic? Although paper or plastic is a never ending argument that is always talked about, there is an even bigger one.  Spanking or no spanking. This debate has been present for generations, and the answer varies with every person’s unique perspective, opinion, and background. Parents have the right to discipline their children in whatever way they choose. Some parents believe that spankings or whoopings are a necessary form of discipline to use with their parents.  Others, however, believe that spankings are a form of child abuse, and refuse to hit their children. There is a definitive line between discipline and child abuse. Spankings and whoopings are not a form of child abuse.

Spankings cannot be considered child abuse because being reprimanded when doing something wrong and only going through a consequential temporary physical punishment is not physical abuse. The definition of child abuse has expanded over the years from physical injury to physical assault, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual activity that is coercive or that occurs with someone older than the child (Wilma Mankiller, Child Abuse).  Since spankings do not fall under any of those categories, it cannot be considered physical assault since a parent has the right to discipline their child. Some claim that the definition of child abuse is not finite and is ever changing, which is true, but that does not deter from the fact that parents have the right to discipline their child with physical punishment so long as it isn’t falling under the current definition of child abuse.

In addition, abuse is an ongoing and repetitive pattern, usually brought upon by parents who were also victims of abuse themselves. “Xifeng kept her eyes down, biting the inside of her cheek at the pain of Guma's fingernails, hatred boiling within' her. No matter how hard she worked and how obediently she behaved, she received only scorn and beatings in return” (Page 5, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns). Examples of abuse such as the example previously stated are considered abuse because of their repetitive nature and their malicious intentions. Parents do not spank their children with malicious intentions, instead they spank their children to teach them right from wrong, and want to help them learn from their mistakes by giving them a punishment that they fight unpleasant to motivate them not to make the same mistake again. On the opposite side of the argument, parents claim, "Spanking plants seeds for later violent behavior" and "Spanking doesn't work," (Livestrong.com), however, many adults of today that live honest and successful lives were spanked as children, and spanking more than often does work as an effective disciplinary method.

Another reason as to why disciplinary spankings cannot be considered child abuse is because spankings are not done to cause injury to the child, only temporary pain in order to associate negative and unwanted feelings with bad mistakes. “If parents choose to spank their child, it should not be done in a way that causes injury to the child, violates the child or causes humiliation to the child” (Livestrong.com). Many parents who are against spankings say that spankings do not help or can actually lead to more bad behavior are proven false because associating pain or a bad consequence to an action is an effective way to train the brain to make better decisions.

Although abuse is repetitive in frequency, it can often happen unexpectedly. Spankings, however, are to be expected when something wrong is done that requires a greater punishment than a talk or grounding. “Discipline is a parental response to specific misbehavior. A child can expect that if he fails to meet expectations that he will be corrected” (Livestrong.com). Abusive attacks usually happen very suddenly and unexpectedly, often times when the parent is angry, while discipline is an action reaction outcome that only happens if the child causes it to happen. In this way, whoopings cannot be considered abuse because of when and why they occur.

Finally, spankings are only a temporary punishment and do not lead to injury or damage to the child’s body that last more than 5 minutes, while abuse is damaging to the physical body for prolonged periods of time, as well as affecting the child mentally and leaving unhealable wounds. “Child abuse is one of the five leading causes of childhood death in the United States today and has serious physical, emotional, and behavioral consequences for the child, including, in some cases, a tendency toward aggression and violence” (Wilma Mankiller, Child Abuse). Child abuse is an extremely brutal and oftentimes life threatening form of undeserved punishment which is ultimately brought upon by a dangerous, unstable, or infuriated individual who is not suit to parent, while discipline in the form of spankings are brought upon by parents who want to teach their child right from wrong and instill these morals in them while they are children and considering spankings an extremely undesirable and painful punishment.

    Spankings are a form of teaching from parent to child, a healthy, non-abusive, and effective method of associating bad actions with bad consequences that help children grow up to be functioning members of society. While child abuse is a topic that deserves more exposure and needs to be talked about, spankings as a method of discipline is not to be considered child abuse and has distinct differences in all levels, including severity of the punishment, why it was brought upon, when it happens, and the results in the child.