Corporal punishment is not all bad

This is consistent with parental practice which, as noted earlier, is marked by rapidly declining resort to physical punishment of children older than four. They also make the interesting observation in respect of discipline training programs for parents that:

Parenting programs that do not incorporate [negative] consequences [e.g. spanking] need to instruct parents to be particularly firm in using alternative types of discipline responses, such as reasoning. Otherwise trainers are in danger of fostering nattering, an increasing frequency of verbal complaints to the child, which in turn are frequently ignored. Frequent parental nattering is a predictor of delinquency.

It is sometimes argued that there is a causal relationship between the incidence of smacking and child abuse. However, both the incidence of child abuse, and violence by juveniles, have risen noticeably over recent years as moderate corporal punishment has become less widely accepted by Australians and abandoned by some public school authorities. This clearly indicates that growing child abuse is not the result of a more punitive environment in the ordinary home or school; although it is consistent with the view, although not proof of it, that deteriorating juvenile behaviour may be in some part due to lack of discipline. Moreover, there is evidence that abusive and neglectful parents present completely different behavioural and emotional profiles compared to parents who only occasionally resort to mild, disciplinary smacking.

The real issue is one of considerate, involved and effective parenting, and the conditions that underlie it. The well-being of children, and their moral and behavioural development, depend upon effective parenting, which in turn depends on a judicious blend of loving care, consistency, and moderate discipline. In allowing a place for spanking as a means of discipline, Lazelere and Merenda emphasise, in the study referred to earlier, that there are many aspects to effective parenting:

The general conclusion to be drawn concerning the effectiveness and usefulness of physical punishment is that, under circumscribed conditions that eschew harshness and frequency of punishment; which accompany mildness with explanation of the reasons for punishment; which take the age of the child into account, and which maintain affectionate relationships; there are good reasons for retaining it in the repertoire of parental options in the socialising and instruction of their children.