Corporal Punishment

Corporal or physical punishment of a child is a method of influencing their body for educational purposes with causing physical pain and suffering. Unfortunately, such an approach is the most common method of disciplinary influence, since it quickly brings the desired result.

I'll ask a question. You developed a cough that doesn't let you breathe, sleep and live normally. You decided to fight this evil and went to a doctor for advice. He immediately prescribed antibiotics and assured you that they will help after the first dose, but they cause side effects and destroy your immunity.

You decided to gather more information about fighting cough and found those who offer you special herbal teas (for example, Iceland moss) that don't give instant effect, but relieve inflammation, remove the cause of cough and don't cause side effects.

Which way would you prefer to solve your problem?

Corporal punishment is an extreme measure of disciplinary action that should be approached only in special cases, considering the seriousness of the situation and the child's age. This should never be done in a burst of anger or emotions, without prayer and conversation with the guilty party.

We read in Prov. 22:15: "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him." There are many other verses in the Bible about how the rod helps establish discipline. Reading these recommendations, one should understand what a rod is. This is a thin twig that when striking soft body tissues can cause sharp pain at the point of impact, leaving a characteristic trace from contact, but which doesn't cause injury and serious trauma to the body. Pain is an effective means of conveying needed information to consciousness.

I want to clarify that a rod is not a belt, not a stick, not heavy objects and not even a hand, but a thin long twig prepared for punishing a disobedient child.

One should understand children's psychology of perceiving such punishment before applying this in practice. A small child's body is very receptive to any touch and gives the brain corresponding signals about how dangerous or pleasant an object is for contact.

In every child's life comes that moment when they touch very hot objects and get burns. This is very painful and causes prolonged suffering in the body. Through this pain a signal comes to the brain that repeated contact is fraught with similar consequences, and the child bypasses dangerous objects and begins to fear them. And sometimes it's enough to say one word: "Hot," to make it clear that pain will follow, and children with burn experience react very correctly to such warnings.

Something similar happens in the consciousness of a young person when parents, explaining that their behavior was wrong, reinforce their words with brief pain through the rod. This pain teaches that such behavior leads to painful consequences, and next time the child may think about whether it's worth getting into trouble again.

If a son or daughter don't yet know how to speak and express their thoughts aloud, then any corporal punishment is excluded. Children must understand what they're being caused pain for.

Moreover, if a child is already more than five or six years old, then any physical impact on their body can humiliate them and cause deep psychological trauma.

The hand for many parents is the most convenient instrument of punishment that they apply for any reason, not being guided by reason and logic. The hand is a bone that has great weight and large area. To cause significant pain to the body, it's necessary to apply great force for a blow. As a result of such impact, the child may have internal injuries and concussions of tender organs, dislocations and fractures of limbs, and morally it will be difficult for them to perceive your hands as something good. This can become in their imagination an instrument of torture that they will fear. Slaps, blows to the face, cuffs don't bring the desired result, but are visible manifestation of parental stupidity, cruelty and ignorance, which breaks children's psyche and sows unkind seeds of rebellion.

The best advice for parents: dedicate your hands to God for good and promise to use them only for good deeds and for expressing love and affection.

If we take hospital statistics of all kinds of corporal punishment of children, then the cruelty and torture that parents are capable of is horrifying. And based on this, the state is forced to adopt laws prohibiting any physical punishment for children, including belts and rods. These laws even entail criminal responsibility with deprivation of parental rights.

Once during lunch break, when I was sitting in a car, I witnessed how a mother, walking with her little son, tried to achieve some behavior from her child, and he didn't listen to her. She grabbed him by the clothes and began to shake him. He began screaming and hitting her back. She tried to calm him with slaps, but he resisted even more. Then she took him under her arm and carried the screaming and kicking creature toward home. The scene was quite unpleasant to watch. And if I had filmed this and reported to police, this mother could have had big trouble. The next day they peacefully walked and enjoyed life, but what trauma was on this boy's heart is known only to God.

The Lord is not interested in having our children taken away from us due to our lack of restraint or cruelty. He is ready to give wisdom to those who want to have it and want to raise not spiritual invalids, but worthy people for life in God's Kingdom.

I think many of those reading these lines remember cases from their childhood when parents' rudeness or cruelty caused them incredible mental experiences that still don't leave memory. Although much time has passed, and perhaps parents are no longer alive, that childhood feeling of injustice toward you remains for a long time.

Any just and wise punishment, whatever it may be, doesn't harm the child's health and psyche. If the violator understood their guilt and gave consent to accepting punishment, then even a belt won't traumatize them, but will teach them something.

When love is present in any punishment, then children see and understand this perfectly. And even experiencing sharp pain, they will come for comfort to those who love them, although they punish them. God cooperates with wise parents and influences the minds of rebellious children to comfort them and show another side of life.

The consequence of correct punishment is that after this it's enough for parents to only say that they will now do what they don't really want to, and children immediately react. Memory suggests how "hot the kettle was," and children don't want to experience this again, choosing obedience.

Conversations in calm atmosphere very much help children understand why their parents were forced to punish them one way or another. And if punishment was wise and just, then children agree with such decision, don't harbor resentment and then in their games practice similar methods on their toys.

1. Please read Job 5:17-18; Prov. 3:11-12; 10:13,24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15-17; Eph. 6:4; Heb. 12:7-11 in light of this chapter.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What did you understand from this chapter?

4. What is corporal punishment of a child?

5. In what cases can corporal punishment be used, and when should this not be done?

6. What result does punishment caused by parents' cruelty and anger bring?

7. How does love act in corporal punishment?

8. How should children be forgiven if they ask forgiveness for their actions?

9. What to do if I don't know how to punish a child, but should?

10. How does the Lord punish those He loves? Rev. 3:19.

11. What is the difference between punishment with love and other types?

12. Why is it necessary to punish children?

13. What soul qualities should parents possess when carrying out punishment?

14. Why is special wisdom needed in corporal punishment?