Let’s be clear to parents who believe the courts just awarded them a freebie: Adults should stop hitting kids, no matter what judges or the spare-the-rod numskulls say. Those of us who were smacked around as children realize our lives would have been better without the welts. Prisons are filled with men and women who were beaten as children.
Americans are making progress. A report last year
JUST two smacks to your three-year-old can lead to a violent primary schooler, new international research has shown.
Infrequent use of spanking defined as one or two times a month doubled the risk of aggression in five-year-olds.
It is the first time research has shown increased aggression could not be explained away by other factors, such as high stress in the mother or maltreatment or neglect of the child.
Child psychologist Bob Montgomery has called for a public health campaign to cut out smacking.
Dr Montgomery believes this would lead to a reduction in schoolyard and street violence.
Prevention starts in the home and skills learnt from parenting programs such as the Triple P parenting course could alter lives, Dr Montgomery said.
Wendell Teltow, Executive Director of PCAT, received our December 17 message regarding their upcoming conference and has responded to criticism made therein by PTAVE board member Tom Johnson. In the interest of fairness, and with Mr. Teltow’s authorization, we now share with you below the email exchange that followed (including links to the referenced attachments).
All children or born pure, it’s how we treat them or behave with them that will alter their attitude towards us. For 2011, I appeal to all errant ‘teachers’ to mend their ways and for all teachers to embrace the anti-corporal punishment law, restore the dignity, pride and respect to the profession and students alike, and teach by example, writes Md Musa Azad
As an advocate of non-violence in the family, school and community, it is my honor and privilege to share this important information with my readers.
On February 28th and March 1st of next year, Prevent Child Abuse Texas (www.preventchildabusetexas.org) will hold its annual conference in Dallas.