Why spanking is bad for kids

Guests: Stacey Patton, Elizabeth Gershoff

Parents shouldn’t spank their children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In a new policy statement pediatrician’s group advises parents and caregivers that corporal punishment is ineffective as a form of discipline. More importantly, it often leads to serious behavioral, cognitive, and emotional outcomes in kids. They also advise parents to avoid hitting, slapping, threatening, yelling at and shaming children. This hour, we’ll discuss the use of physical punishment for children, what the research shows, and discuss more effective and healthy forms of discipline. Our guests are ELIZABETH GERSHOFF, professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas, Austin, and STACEY PATTON, author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America.