Study: Younger Generations Spank Children Less
Growing up my sisters and I got the belt if we were out of hand. It was a step further than a regular slap on the tush. My older sister Jessica, the trouble maker got it more than any of us. As a mother now, I am not a spanker, a quick pat on the butt sure, but I do my best to refrain from actual spanking - even though sometimes his attitude makes me think twice about it. According to this study, many, like me, experienced spanking as a child, then as a parent chose not to spank.
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Millennials and Gen X moms and dads are spanking children less than older generations according to new research. Monitoring the Future did a national survey from 1993 to 2017. They focused on 25 groups of high school students and then reached back out 17 years later when the focus group was about 35 years old. Then they narrowed it down to only those who had children living at the home between ages 2 and 12. From '93 to '17 the number of parents who spank dropped by 15%. What was about half of parents reporting spanking, in 2017 was down to 35%. The American Academy of Pediatrics still say its not enough and a lot of research is showing the effect that spanking can have on children as they grow older.
Were you spanked as a child? Do you choose to spank as a parent and if not what do you do to discipline?