Impact of Spanking

Spanking may leave a lasting impact on children, well past their initial punishment.  This is the conclusion of an article in Pediatrics, "Spanking and Child Development Across the First Decade of Life

• Children who were spanked often early in life by their mothers were more likely to be aggressive later in childhood compared to kids who weren't spanked at all.
• Being spanked by dads was also linked to vocabulary and language problems in kids.
• Mothers who were still spanking their child by the age of 5 — no matter how often — were more likely to have a child who was more aggressive than his or her peers by the time they turned 9.
• Mothers who spanked their child at least twice a week when they were 3 also had children more likely to have these problem behaviors.
• Children who were spanked at least twice a week by their fathers at the age of 5 were more likely to score lower on vocabulary and language-comprehension tests.

Contributed by Scott Bilstad

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