Let's have zero tolerance for hitting kids

At what point does corporal punishment of children become abuse? That question has been on the minds of many Americans since Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson was arrested and charged with a crime for hitting his 4-year-old son with a switch.

Because most of us have had personal experience with the issue, opinions vary. Some say that a swat or two on the backside makes a point and can help keep a child safe. Others argue that violence begets violence, and striking children only teaches them that hitting is acceptable.

Our view falls in the latter camp — and that from an Editorial Board that includes members who have both spanked and been spanked. But given what we now know about the harm it can cause, striking children should drop off the list of acceptable disciplinary practices.

The Peterson case has ignited a national discussion about the use of corporal punishment. Peterson, 29, has acknowledged using a switch to discipline his son, but says he didn't intend to harm the boy. He also stated that he was disciplined in a similar way by his father when growing up in Texas.

After the news media and public reacted strongly to photos of the boy's injuries, even Peterson acknowledged that his discipline went further than he intended, according to his attorney. The whipping reportedly caused numerous cuts and bruises to the child's back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, plus defensive wounds to his hands.

Hitting hard enough to leave multiple wounds on a 4-year-old is assault and child abuse in our book. A Texas grand jury found probable cause to move forward with charges.

Research has confirmed that spanking or otherwise striking a child is an inappropriate form of discipline that can lead to mental health issues.

Frequent spanking, the researchers found, sets up a vicious circle of continued bad behavior by instilling fear rather than understanding. Hitting young children doesn't help them understand what they did wrong or why they shouldn't have been acting up. In addition, using physical forms of discipline teaches kids that aggressive behavior is how adults solve problems.

Jails and prisons are filled with inmates who have been hit, beaten or otherwise abused as children. Those are the men and women who experience violence as a normal part of their childhoods, and they too frequently end up using violence against their own partners and children as adults.

Still, polls show that about 70 percent of Americans don't object to spanking. There are some racial, regional and religious differences in the rates of tolerance, but generally the practice is seen as acceptable. That needs to change.

An encouraging trend is that tolerance was even stronger a few decades ago. The University of Chicago's General Social Survey (see accompanying text) was first done in 1986. At that time, overall acceptance of spanking stood at nearly 85 percent, but it has dropped steadily since.

More parents should consider the convoluted logic involved in justifying hitting a child. Peterson allegedly hit his son because the 4-year-old hit or pushed another one of his children. So what sense does it make to beat a kid to teach him not to beat others? Why use physical force to punish a kid for using physical force?