A front-page headline in the Aug. 12 Tribune reads, “Spanking a child is not abuse, says Utah high court.” The article goes on to clarify that in this particular legal case, there was not enough evidence given in court to prove that these children were harmed.
This should not be taken to suggest that corporal punishment of a child is acceptable. While it is clear from our general experience that most children who are spanked turn out OK, it is also clear that some children are emotionally scarred by this experience. Twenty years of research on the lifelong effects from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have demonstrated that a child who is subjected to pain, or the constant fear of impending pain, can be emotionally harmed.
This is especially true when that pain is inflicted by his parent, his only protector. The child can get stuck in a fight-freeze-or-flight arousal state similar to that suffered by those with PTSD. These effects can be life-long, and are not determined by what the parent intends by the spanking, but how the child perceives and interprets it.
There are better, more effective, ways to teach a child appropriate behavior. No matter how frustrated the parent gets, hitting a child with a hand or a belt is never the best choice.
William E. Cosgrove, pediatrician
Cottonwood Heights