I think it's safe to assume that most humans currently alive were spanked as children and most parents alive today spank their children. If that assumption is true, than it's not amazing... it's just the norm.
There is also a large portion of parents who have rejected corporal punishment and opted for 'peaceful parenting' techniques from a moralistic perspective based on the non-aggression principle.
Even if you don't agree on moral grounds there have been loads of research papers written on this topic. The papers I have read have helped me make my mind up as I was once in the "spare the rod, spoil the child" camp.
For example, spanking by parents can significantly damage a child’s mental abilities and results in a lower IQ later in life (study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire).
Additionally researchers have found that harsh physical punishment was associated with increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, and several personality disorders after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and family dysfunction, and that if harsh physical punishment did not occur, the prevalence of certain mental disorders might have been reduced by ~2% to 7%.
There are tons more studies on this.
So, if you consider your role as a parent to include giving your child the best chance at life you need to seriously evaluate the body of evidence against using corporal punishment.
Something to consider - is hitting the child caring for them or venting frustration?
A very important consideration. A parent who smacks out of frustration or malice will do harm. Yet a neglectful parent who never smacks a child will do more harm than an engaged parent who does.
FTFY. That's 66 million people. Add Europe and USA and you have about a billion people who consider spanking a no-no. Since spanking is culturally accepted in most of the developing world, I'd say spanking is the norm rather than the exception on planet earth.
> There is also a large portion of parents who have rejected corporal punishment and opted for 'peaceful parenting' techniques from a moralistic perspective based on the non-aggression principle.
Myself included.
> Even if you don't agree on moral grounds
You may be responding to the wrong comment, since I didn't state a position in that comment.
> So, if you consider your role as a parent to include giving your child the best chance at life you need to seriously evaluate the body of evidence against using corporal punishment.
Again, you've probably responded to the wrong person. I've not supported corporal punishment anywhere in this discussion.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families...
It's a rhetorical exaggeration.
The hand licking incident brought it home to me in a big way that, yea, verily, it's better to stand there dumbly and just watch it burn while trying to think of something better to do, even though that is extraordinarily stressful and can feel like the worst possible solution. When there is a crisis, it often feels like you should do Something! Anything!
Maybe. But sometimes you should do Anything -- except that. Anything but that. So it reinforced my resolve to stand my ground when adults around me were haranguing me to do things I knew would not work and would, in fact, be counterproductive.
The response that lots of people don’t see a problem with it is hard to interpret charitably in that context.
I've not yet argued a position here; only pointed out that spanking is the norm on planet earth.
For what it's worth, I was spanked (IMO responsibly, not abusively) as a child but I do not spank my own child.
Parenting is hard. People try their best. I'm grateful to my parents for raising me the best way they knew how.