Spare the rod and spoil the child! That’s the wisdom that was passed down to us over the generations, but child development experts have a contrary view to this. Here are 7 reasons why it is never ok to beat kids.

Encourages bullying

When you beat your child, you give her the notion that the stronger person is always right, and it is ok to get people to listen to you by beating them up. This could turn him into a bully or give in to bullying.

Bigger and stronger people beat others

Imagine a situation where you’re beating your child to discipline her for hitting another child or her sibling. This is confusing as she might assume that it is ok for strong and older people to beat the young and weak ones.

Damages self-esteem

Long-term spanking damages your child’s self-esteem because spanking is an act of shaming and leaves a long-lasting impact on her brain. Spanking has also proven to make kids vulnerable to mood disorders, aggressive behaviors, anxiety disorders, etc.

Disrupts trust in relationships

Imagine the damage and impact it will cause on the little heart and mind, when the people who are supposed to protect her, hurt her instead.

Distracts from the solution

If a bad behavior is what you are trying to address or discipline her for, beating only takes you further from the goal. You need to teach her the right course of action, and when you beat her, the focus is shifted to pain and hurt, rather than the solution, or the acceptable behavior.

Hitting may lead to abuse

From a silent tap on her hand to forbid her from doing something to the use of a cane for bad grades, the intensity of the punishment always escalates. That’s how abuse begins, and the scars of abuse haunt your child for life, so spare the rod if you care for your child.

The bottom line is, avoid physical punishment in all situations.  There are far more easy and better ways to discipline a child.