As time has gone on, more and more information has come out on the value of spanking your child. Most of us were spanked when we were children and that automatically makes us believe that spanking is fine. After all, you turned out just fine.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a different view. Their strongly worded policy says that “Parents should not spank their children” because of the “harmful effects of corporal punishment.”

This group represents 67,000 doctors who recommended that pediatricians advised parents against the use of spanking, which it defines as “not injurious, open-handed hitting with the intention of modifying child behavior.” They even said that parents should avoid using nonphysical punishment that is humiliating, scary or threatening.

This new policy coming from this group of doctors updates a 20-year-old policy on discipline that recommended parents be encouraged not to spank. Their new policy statement on spanking stems from research in the last two decades. They obviously have strong views on this subject.

The academy’s analysis of multiple studies found that children do not benefit from spanking. You may get their attention but it does not help the child learn right from wrong.

They also found that corporal punishment, spanking, increases aggression in children and makes it more likely that the child will be defiant in the future.

So what should a parent do? What is the best way to discipline your child? Fortunately, the number of parents who spank their children has significantly declined. Even now, some parents may disagree and even some experts will defend spanking. Dr. Spock in an early edition of Baby and Child Care said spanking, “is less poisonous than lengthy disapproval, because it clears the air. Even he changed his mind in the 1980s.

Based on today’s research, many more are looking less positively at spanking. Research has found that the outcomes linked to physical punishment such as spanking are the same as those linked to physical abuse.

This same outcome happens no matter what race or ethnicity, parenting style or neighborhood environment. Another study found physical punishment predicts increasing risk of negative outcomes for children.

Alternatives

So how should a parent discipline their child? There are many things to consider. Think about the child’s age and his temperament. Different approaches work at different ages and with different kinds of children. Here are some ideas of ways to discipline.

Talk about the behavior without screaming

If you get overly angry, that almost gives him permission to also be angry. Talk calmly and quietly. Works for all ages.

Reward good behavior

Give hugs and positive statements when the child does the correct thing especially when previously he did the wrong thing. Works for all ages.

Time-out

Put your child in another room for a specific amount of time. This works for children from 3-9 years of age but only with clear explanation. The length of the time-out should begin with a very short period of time based on the child’s age.

Restriction

Particularly as your child becomes older, this can be effective. Even when your child has a cell phone or car privileges you have some significant leverage you can take from him for poor behavior. These are some of the positives in his life that he does not want to lose.

Reward the correct behavior

Make a chart of desired behavior to focus on the changes you want to see. Use the chart to correct repeated wrong behavior. Every time your child does it correctly, let him put a star next to it for good behavior. When he does it right several times in succession, reward the behavior. Works for child 3-9 years of age.

Write about the incident

Some older children can discuss or write about what was wrong with their own behavior and parents can accept that apology. Some parents ask their child for a written explanation of what happened. This may even improve language skills. Works with children after they know how to write.

Have a talk

Converse with your child about how his behavior makes you feel. At some point as the child gets older, how you feel even makes a difference to him. You need to be careful that this doesn’t work against you as your child gets older.

Try some different ways to change difficult or wrong behavior. You may be surprised how well they might work for you. At least these different ways do not harm a child which can be the end results of spanking your child.

Cynthia Martin is the founder of the First Teacher program and former executive director of Parenting Matters Foundation, Reach current First Teacher Executive Director Nicole Brewer, email nicole@firstteacher.org or call 360-681-2250.