First and foremost, I will define three key words to this write-up before I begin. Spank; to slap or smack (someone) on the bottom. Spanking; a series of slaps on the bottom with the open hand, to punish a child etc. And then we will define Abuse; misuse, ill-treatment, an instance of injustice or corruption. Is spanking really child abuse? That is the question I will mainly address in this write-up.

Spanking is a form of discipline, and sometimes necessary to get your point across to a child. The bible even addresses this matter in Proverbs 23:13,14(New World Translation) which reads; 13. Do not hold back discipline from the mere boy. In case you beat him with the rod, he will not die. 14. With the very rod you yourself should beat him, that you may deliver his very soul from Sheol itself. The rod in these scriptures is used to symbolize parental authority over children. Now I am not a bible thumper, and am not a fan of organized religion. I do however respect the bible as being inspired by God, and useful for handling everyday problems.

Picture this, you are in a public place and your child starts acting up, or has decided to throw a tantrum. What do you do? Do you stand there and watch your child be completely unreasonable and disgraceful? Or do you discipline him/her? When I say discipline I do not mean simply physical discipline, you can also give verbal discipline. But what happen when your child disregards your verbal rebukes? That is where the spanking enters the picture. But you as parents need to make it clear why your child is recieving the spanking. And always tell them you love them afterwards, and never make them feel unloved or abused. There are people out there, who feel that swatting your child on the rear is absolutely evil and abusive. Is this view reasonable?

I believe in the long run, spanking gets your much needed discipline instilled in you child’s mind, and teaches them to be mannerly and polite, knowing right and wrong. Or at least knowing what you teach them to be right and wrong. Spanking is not always appropriate, and I know that my parents seldom disciplined me in public, with the exception of extreme cases when I was really being a stubborn ass.

What about over doing it? Is that possible with spanking? In one word, yes. There has to be a balance for discipline to work correctly. In one extreme you can over-discipline, on the other hand, there could be a seriouse lack of discipline. It is up to the parent to decide what is necessary discipline for their child. I do believe a lot of parents, due to frustration or lack of love mainly, over use spanking as a method of discipline. Is that abuse? Well if you'll recall the definition of abuse, you’ll remember the word misuse. That is where spanking becomes abusive. When they misuse this method of discipline. This may lead your children to think you have a lack of respect for their emotional needs, as well as disrespect for life in general. And can sever the link between parent and child very abruptly. The bottom line is this, it is solely up to the parent to decide where the line between simple, and deserved discipline lies, and that of abuse. Do not conform to anybody elses way of thinking, because they don't know whats best for your child, you do. It is YOUR child, and YOUR responsibility. You should raise them in the manner YOU see fit, but you have to watch out, because the line between physical discipline and abuse isn’t far off. Just be reasonable when disciplining, sometimes giving your child a good swat on the butt isn’t the answer. Sometimes, however, it is. And always make sure they understand what they did was wrong, and always tell them "I love you".