When does discipline become child abuse?

 When does discipline become child abuse?

    While raising a child, you're guaranteed to have your child doing things that they shouldn't do, such as hitting other people, crying in public, and so on. Proper discipline is of course required to raise a child that won't become someone who endangers themselves and the people around them- children have to learn what to do and what not to do while growing up, or else they will never get anywhere. However, there is a certain threshold where this discipline becomes abuse. 

    Specific measures of discipline are needed depending on what a child does: You might give a child a stern talk if they, for example, call someone a curse word. If they hit someone, you may ground them or remove their access to electronics for a fixed amount of time. But never is corporal punishment necessary - as stated by the World Health Organization, 

    "Corporal punishment triggers harmful psychological and physiological responses. Children not only experience pain, sadness, fear, anger, shame and guilt, but feeling threatened also leads to physiological stress and the activation of neural pathways that support dealing with danger. Children who have been physically punished tend to exhibit high hormonal reactivity to stress, overloaded biological systems, including the nervous, cardiovascular and nutritional systems, and changes in brain structure and function" (WHO).

    As stated by the World Health Organization above, corporal punishment, which involves physical harm like flogging, spanking, etc., has no good effects on a child whatsoever. The only thing it can accomplish is creating a child with no idea how to take out their pain properly.

    And before one tries to make the claim that they can just pinch or pull their child by the ear, something just minor in terms of damage, they have to realize this will do no good either. 

"Physical abuse is intentional bodily injury. Some examples include slapping, pinching, choking, kicking, shoving, or inappropriately using drugs or physical restraints" (DSHS).

     As long as any sort of physical pain is being intentionally put on a child, it is a form of corporal punishment and therefore abuse. There is are no "buts" or exceptions if they are still a child. Because no matter what, the truth is they will make mistakes while growing up. It is the parent's jobs to correct these mistakes and lead their children to the right direction, not to shut them down and beat them altogether to "teach them a lesson." Correct and controlled discipline is how you raise a good child.

Citations

World Health Organization (WHO), "Corporal punishment and health." WHO, November 23, 2021, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/corporal-punishment-and-health.

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), "Types and Signs of Abuse." DSHS, https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/home-and-community-services/types-and-signs-abuse, accessed October 20, 2023.