The May 3 issue of Time magazine reports that a multiyear study concludes that spanking kids makes them more aggressive later on. The study is wrong.
The book of Proverbs repeatedly show the importance of spanking - Proverbs 13.24: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." 14.3: "In the mouth of the foolish is the rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them." 22.8: "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail." 22.15: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." 23.13: "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with a rod, he shall not die." 23.14: "Thou shalt beat him with a rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."
The rod administered by a concerned parent's hand represents authority. Spankings should be administered with a rod and not with any other instrument, certainly not with the hand. When a parent wields a rod with authority to spank a child for rebellion or foolish behavior, at least three long term benefits result when parents properly follow up such chastisement with tender love and firm instruction: First, chastisement by a parent wielding authority delegated by God reveals reveals to a child the kind of chastisement God administers to His own children, which is motivated by a loving concern for future behavior (Heb. 12.5-11). Second, spanking a child to tearful sorrow is profoundly beneficial in showing the high price of sin and as a method to bring a surrender of the child's will to the parent's wishes. Third, spanking a child shows the power of an authority figure to a youngster that will foster respect for authority as maturity and experience is gained.
When I leave my study and observe the outside world in which few parents know how to correct their children, I have all the evidence I need in support of the Biblical approach to correcting children who refuse to respond to reason. I pity poor kids who throw tantrums at the checkout stand of the grocery store when they don't get what they want. I sincerely wish their moms and dads had the gumption and the love to swim against the current trends by giving them a good spanking. I am so thankful my parents spanked me. I needed them.
