Corporal Punishment

The American Academy of Pediatrics just released a new policy statement recommending against corporal punishment (define as “noninjurious, open-handed hitting with the intention of modifying child behavior”) and nonphysical forms of punishment “that are cruel and degrading and thus incompatible with the convention include, for example, punishment which belittles, humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares, or ridicules the child.” The statement also includes things like forcing children to hold uncomfortable positions and forced ingestions (like washing a child’s mouth out with soap). What does this mean for parents?

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