Is spanking a child abuse?

I think it depends. Bruises, welts, trauma from it, yes. A spanking? No.

I was spanked, and I knew right from wrong early on. After about age 6, I just had to hear "the voice" and I sat down and was quiet, because I didn't want to get a spanking. My nephew is 3 and we spat him all the time, otherwise he just gets up after time-out and does it again. It is a definite discipline tool, and can be used in a healthy manner. I think if more parents spanked their children kids wouldn't be so crazy these days. I hear of people talking back to their parents, hitting them, being disrespectful.that wouldn't have happened in my house, as daddy or mom would have popped me on the mouth or bent me over their knee, even as a teen. I think I'm more respectful and better for it.

But these people who scar their children with it? Hell no. In no way is it permissible. My aunt was once turned into Child Protective Services for spanking her kids in front of a friend, and the cop sat there and watched her spank them afterward, not saying anything because it wasn't abuse. So there is a line, and that line is recognized by the authorities.

But people are going to have their opinions no matter what, and there are many people out there who will try to force their opinions on everyone else.

Spanking is abuse, hitting a child is abuse. But a slap on the fingers to prevent it touching a burning stove or an electrical outlet isn't abuse.

It's abuse, my son grew up without ever being spanked.

I have no kids, but I've had plenty of dogs.
A dog, or a kid, must respect you. In early days, that might take a hit once or twice. But you should never have to do it again after that. If you find yourself repeatedly hitting a kid or a dog, you may have a problem.

no if it is justified.

When I was younger, I just got a gentle smack on the head when I did something bad. As I got older the smacks got harder since my head was getting thicker, and they did the trick.

The problem with spanking is when people turn it into a ritual, or when it becomes about the parents gratification rather than showing the kid they did something wrong. Kids are not stress relievers, and that's the way it should be.

I think it depends how hard you spank them. Like if it is a light-slap on the wrist then no I wouldn't consider that child abuse. It would just make the child stop any wrong action they are doing.

No, and sometimes it's not a bad idea for adults either.

Sometimes pain and embarrassment are really effective teaching tools! Especially if dangerous behavior is involved, there's not always time for sweet reason to work its wonders.

A light spanking is fine, I remember being the recipient of those far too many times, lol.

Now it's a different matter if you're going after the kid with a maul while frothing at the mouth.

No, I don't think it is. It's a way for a child to learn and in some situations it's the only one that works.sometimes they need pain in order for them to pay attention.and it's the safest way to inflict pain, since it's the best padded place.

I wouldn't say its abuse but its not something I support. That's like when I was like 12 I don't remember what I did but my parents never hit me so I defintely wasnt expected it I was with my uncle and whatever I did made him mad. He hit me, little did he know I had been boxing for 3 years I turned around and hit him with the hardest punch I have ever thrown knocked right onto the floor never hit me again that's for sure. Hitting spanking there's no reason for it. Just like you can train a dog with out hitting him its possible. That's really teaching the kid a lesson he's just afraid of getting hit instead should be taught why whatever he was doing shouldnt be done

there is no way on earth that is or ever should be abuse. if we can't even hit our kids to discipline them. how wil they learn? GO TO THE CORNER NOW! >=O great lesson learned in that.

I don't believe it is. There are limits. People can go to far. Kids are not dumb and they will push the boundaries until they can't get away with it. As long as the adult doesn't go overboard with the punishment, I do not believe it is child abuse.

ok I don't think people even see a difference anymore

SPANKING is different from BEATING. when you spank a child you are "to strike (a person, usually a child) with the open hand, a slipper, etc., esp. on the buttocks, as in punishment.(dictionary.com) "

if you tell the child, don't touch it (it refering to an object) or your gonna break it, and he keeps touching it and breaks it, your gonna spank the child (strike him/her with an open hand on the buttocks. lets face it he/her had it coming

now beating is when you hit the kid with a fist or if the force of your slap is too hard

now spanking won't be such a bad thing if you really do love your child unconditionally and show it to him/her, if you do the spanking right, you'll only really have to do it a couple times cause then they'll learn to listen 2 u

Nope it's not child abuse, I got spanked all the time when I was a kid, and if I have a kid they too will be spanked, it teaches them a lesson. Just look at all those bratty kids whose parents don't spank, they cause all kinds of hell, and then look at the ones who know that if they acted like that in public there would be hell to pay.

The definition of child abuse in the United States, as of now, is any action which leaves a lasting mark on a child's body. An unbelievable amount of studies have shown that spanking and punishments like that only exacerbate the problems. If a child has a bad behavior, teach them not to do it with care, don't hit them.

I think it _can_ be abuse, and I'm _very_ reluctant to use it.

I think spanking _can_ come from a bully mentality.

I think spanking is more to satisfy parents than to punish children.

I think spanking doesn't accomplish much in the long term other than make children resent their parents.

I don't think young children understand spanking. An adult sees spanking one way, and a child interprets the event another way.

"Action" and "consequence" are not gospel truths, and a child may not make the same connection between "cause" and "effect" that an adult makes. To a child, an "action" is visiting the shopping mall to talk to a fat man in a red suit, and the "consequence" is gifts under the Christmas tree. When you're five years old, this "action" and "consequence" seems perfectly logical, but an adult sees perceives the world differently.

My two cents.

Spanking is never an abuse unless it hurts the child mentally or left many scars on the body. parents hit there kid because they want to discipline them. Most of the kids who end up using drugs, ending in a fight and or going to jail are the ones who thier parents never spanked or scolded for doing something wrong.

Beating a child is abuse, spanking them isn't. But I still think it should be used sparingly. When I was little, that's how my father disciplined me and my siblings. We didn't avoid doing things because we knew they were wrong, we stopped out of fear--that's not necessarily a good thing.

I think people resort to spanking a child out of frustration and because they don't know how else to discipline them, but there are other methods. My mother doesn't believe in hitting children, and we caused her way less grief than we caused our father.

well, I don't think it's child abuse, but it depends on how hard you're hitting them.
i mean, this is a little embarassing to say but when I was like four and I got spanked my dad would pull down my under wear and smack me REALLY hard on the butt, and I mean, it hurt a lot (skin to skin) it would sting forever after. I don't think it's a good idea, because it didn't do anything but make me afraid, not only of doing whatever I did wrong, but of my dad. AND I'm still afraid of him to this day (but that's for other reasons too)

It depends, cause sometimes things can get out of hand. My friend was spanked, but so bad that it literally left scars and she was beat in other places too.

Spanking is not child abuse. lol Although it depends on who does the spanking, what you spank with (hand, paddle) and what the infraction is. I think sometimes men do not know their own strength when they spank a child and some people have serious anger issues that end up hurting their kids (slap, beat, spank too much, too hard etc). But personally, I think spanking a child is almost necessary for disciplne and respect, especially in the early childhood years for certain infractions. It's all about how the discipline is enforced, what, when, where, why. A time-out can't and does not work every time. You can gently enforce physical discipline to teach a lesson and have authorative respect in your home. It worked with me and my brother and we turned out just fine. :)