There has always been parents all around the world who mistreat their children because they think it’s the right way to discipline them, either with their hands, an object, speaking rough to them, etc.

Disciplining your child is one of the hardest things to do. There are different methods that parents can use to discipline their child, but hitting, is just not the right thing to do.

Why? When you hit a child, there can be a lot of damage caused that can harm them, and in the long-run, affect their future as well.

According to a pediatrician from St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia, Daniel Taylor, said, that when the amygdala (a section of the brain that regulates motion) is damaged, the child can become hyperactive and can have trouble trying to calm down causing the child to get into fights and not being able to concentrate very easily. He also said, that when the hippocampus (a section of the brain that affects the memory of a person) is damaged by toxic stress (produced when the body feels threatened or in danger, like when a child receives harsh parenting) it can give the child hard times remembering stuff and not being able to read and do well on tests.

Marcy Witherspoon, a social worker and an expert in child welfare and brain development said, that if toxic hormones are being produced constantly, the child may experience elevated blood pressure, be at risk of having diabetes, and have a high heart rate.

As you can see, hitting a child can cause long lasting consequences that can affect them the rest of their life.

Families with lower-income are more likely to give their children more toxic stress, a 1998 California study showed. This shows that this can put in danger developing brains.

According to “Children’s brains can be stunted by harsh parenting, researchers say” by Philadelphia Inquirer, and adapted by the Newsela.com staff, it said, “…low-income parents, who struggle with worries from hunger or joblessness or poor housing, seem to treat their children harshly more often.” It also said that mothers who don’t eat well can’t connect to their child really easily.

Eighth grader at Animo Jefferson Middle School, Carol Garcia said, “Hitting a child could damage their self-confidence because they don’t believe in their self and another person. They will be traumatized.”

This demonstrates that when a child is spanked, they’re not only damaged physically, but also mentally.

Hitting is not the only way to ensure that your child is a good person. There are also other methods to educate them. Animo Jefferson Charter Middle School counsellor Gabriela Cervantes said, “…with teenagers hitting doesn’t really hurt them or it will get them upset and angry and cause more of a problem tension between the parent and the child… the best way to discipline is by consequences, everything in life costs something… your parents do not owe you anything the only thing they must give you is a safe place to sleep and live and food to keep you alive everything else is a privilege if you want privileges, you’ve got to work for them. If a teenager does not want to do their chores around the house then the parent does not have to give them television, video games, cellphone, Facebook, going out to the movies with friends, those are all privileges that can be taken away and should be taken away if the teenager is not doing what they’re supposed to do.” On the other hand, for toddlers she said, that a good way too discipline them is by time-out. Cervantes uses this with her toddler at home, for every year the kid is, it is one minute on time-out. At first, the kid is given two warnings, and if by the third time they don’t listen, then they are put on time-out and set aside, isolated from the others to think aboust theyre actions.

In case you are still not convinced, that hitting a child is not an effective way to improve your child’s discipline, school performance, etc., why not hear it from a student?

Carol also said, “Let the child explain what happened. Be patient. Don’t hit them, instead ground them because hitting is not going to solve anything. Some children have been traumatized by seeing violence between their own family. Sometimes children are thinking about killing themselves.”

If you have children and you hit them because you think it is the right way to discipline them, you should be more patient because you can be affecting their future in a negative way. One way to support your kids is to listen to them, be patient with them, and most importantly have communication with them, like a family like Carol said. Communication is very important to have a good family relationship. There should always be communication because this way, you know what your kid is going through and you know how to help them. Another reason why there should always be communication is because if there is no communication your child won’t have much confidence in talking to you and telling you if he/she needs help with something. Communication can also prevent suicide from even happening.

The next time you are thinking of hitting your child for some reason, think it twice. Ask yourself this question: Is it really worth it?

If you are are still having trouble disciplining your child and having trouble stopping from hitting them, you may want to contact/ attend one or various of the following places:

1. Star View Community Services — Vilma Soto (310) 868- 5379 – ext. 108

2. LA. Child Guidance Center –  1-(323)-766-2345 – 8am-12pm (Monay-Friday) – 7:30am-3:30am (Sat.) – 3787 South Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90007

3. Children’s Bureau-Magnolia place — (888)-255-4543 – 8:30am-5:00pm (Monday-Friday) – 1910 Magnolia Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90007

4. Children’s Collective — Grisela Arias – 1-(213)747-4046

If you want to report an abuse that’s happening, you can call 1-(800)-540-8000. You will be asked your name but be anonymous to the person you’re reporting about.