Spanking: Then & Now
"A nation that cannot fight is not worth its salt, no matter how cultivated and refined it may be, and the very fact that it can fight often obviates the necessity of fighting. . . . Moreover when it comes to discipline, I cordially agree with you as to the need of physical punishment. . . . With my own children (who, I think I can say, are devoted to me, and who are close and intimate friends) I invariably have to punish them once physically so as to make them thoroughly understand that I will unhesitatingly resort to such punishment if they make it necessary." — Theodore Roosevelt writing to Granville Stanley Hall, often called the father of child psychology.
1939
"A slap on the hand of the infant who is reaching for a forbidden object has the advantages of immediate and direct association with the misbehavior and of being quickly over. To do any good the slap must be sharp enough to be felt, but should not be severely painful. It goes almost without saying that a child's ears or face should never be boxed." — from "As the Twig Is Bent [Spank If You Must]" by Leslie B. Hohman, M.D., in Ladies' Home Journal
2000
"The more children are spanked, the more anger they report as adults, the more likely they are to spank their own children, and the more likely they are to approve of hitting a spouse. Spanking is also associated with higher rates of physical aggression, more substance abuse, and an increased risk of crime and violence when older children and adolescents are spanked. Instead, maintain a positive, loving emotional environment while setting consistent rules and limits." — from The Children's Hospital Guide to Your Child's Health and Development, Children's Hospital Boston.
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