Navigating the spectrum of child discipline through the generations

Foreword

Take a look into childrearing like never before. In this project, you will learn the generational story of how parenting styles in America have changed over the course of time through the perspective of history and religion, psychologists, pop culture and music, students, coaches, kids and – of course – parents. This story will reassure you, trigger you and interest you all at the same time.

I reported on this story overlooking the peaks and valleys of the island of Maui. I have certainly had a different childhood than you. Yet, somehow, when I returned to Texas to finish the story, the topic was just as relevant to my peers. I hope you find this project as fun as it was for me to make. And I hope it lingers and makes you question assumptions about child discipline.

1800 -1900

From the Christian perspective, the roots of childrearing expertise come from a few lines, and famously, one out of the Old Testament:

^"15 The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Proverbs 29:15)

The Bible has a clear position on child discipline.

"¹⁵ Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him" (Proverbs 22:15)

"The holy experiment" – American colonialization – was predisposed to ideas from the Protestant movement that diverted from the Church of England.

During the Colonial period, Puritans were known to use strict discipline, which they felt would give their children salvation. If disobedient, children were often whipped in public and forced to make public confessions at meetings.

While Christianity and politics often went hand-in-hand in the West, the "New World" was not formed on Christian ideals alone.

A 17th-century English philosopher, John Locke, played a substantial role in manufacturing American ideology¹.

Tabula rasa, the Latin term for "blank slate," was one of his well-known theories, as he theorized that children were neither born evil nor predisposed to sin but were born "blank slates," which contested the old and dominant understanding.

“According to the ordinary disciplining of children, [it] would not have mended that temper, nor have brought him to be in love with his book; to take a pleasure in learning, and to desire, as he does, to be taught more, than those about him think fit always to teach him.  … We have reason to conclude, that great care is to be had of the forming children’s minds, and giving them that seasoning early, which shall influence their lives always after.” - Locke, "Essay Concerning Human Understanding," 1690

Locke was a Calvinist by faith, and he cited the Bible in his works; however, Locke drew on philosophical ideas that were considered 'liberal' in England and made enemies because of it.

The philosopher died long before he could see his liberal love-child: American society.

Tabula rasa had influenced Anglo-American philosophy. The philosophy was adopted out of an American desire to show other countries their religious independence.

But it wasn't Locke who created liberalism², just as it wasn't Jesus who facilitated Christianity, nor Friedrich Nietzsche who created Nihilism. Rather, America implored a more tolerant society by choice.

Locke touted the theory that children could be rational and "must be treated as rational creatures," and though it took centuries for the concept to become common thought, in America, it did come.

Amid a desire for societal independence in the 1820s and 30s, a paralleled ideal changed parenting in America: reason over tradition.

"It may give some small light to those, whose concern for their dear little ones makes them so irregularly bold, that they dare venture to consult their own reason, in the education of their children, rather than wholly to rely upon old custom." - Locke, "Thoughts Concerning Education," 1693

Rather than Christian principles of rearing, which preferred corporal punishment, American laissez-faire appealed to the idea that children could be reasoned.

This was an era in which there was a "gentling of attitudes" toward children, wrote novelist Mary Cable in her book, "The Little Darlings: A History of Child Rearing in America."

For these parents, the fewer adult responsibilities the child had, the better off he or she would be because they would not be missing childhood. Instead of using harsh discipline, the idea that children could be reasoned with became accepted by some, said author Bernard Wishy in his book "The Child and The Republic."

Nonetheless, many parents still continued to whip their children late into the 1800s because the majority believed it to be more effective than other methods.

And rigid approaches to childrearing pressed on into the early 1900s.

1900 - Present

In 1946, an American psychologist named Benjamin Spock took a different stance than most of the popular, stringent parenting books of the time. His stance on rearing involved scheduling and planning out discipline to achieve the end goal of a well-suited individual.

Spock wrote his own book, "The Common Sense of Baby and Child Care," which became one of the best-selling books of the century.

The book received both extreme praise and extreme criticism. It was heavily criticized for promoting a permissive style of parenting that many Americans weren't accustomed to.

Spock intended to account for the emotional implications of discipline, though it was easily disagreeable for many because his hypotheses were based on a psychoanalytical background³.

“Children are driven from within themselves to grow, explore, experience, learn and build relationships with other people,” the latest edition of "Baby and Child Care" reads. “So while you are trusting yourself, remember also to trust your child.”

To say that his work changed parenting in the United States would be an understatement, but a majority opposition remained.

Experts like John Rosemond maintain an 'old school' theory of child discipline that finds itself rooted in Christianity.

"Obedience has to be forced because you're pushing through one's nature," Rosemond said.

The 'old school' and 'new school' perspectives today are at odds, as they were in the 1950s: Regimented versus open, forced versus natural, authoritative versus permissive.

_{1. Thomas Jefferson's 'Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness closely aligns with Locke's "Life, Liberty and Property."}

_{2. "All mankind [...] being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions." (John Locke, Second Treatise of Government)}

_{3. Benjamin Spock interned at Presbyterian Hospital where he gained an interest in how the well-being of patients related to their emotional makeup. His interest increased because most questions asked by parents related to psychological issues. This information led Spock to believe that pediatric doctors should be trained in psychology as well. As a result, Spock engrossed himself in Sigmund Freud's theories about children and parenting. He believed Freud's ideas regarding affectionate child-rearing were healthier than the harsh style of parenting used by his own parents. (Study.com)}

A new generation

About 13% of the world's children are fully protected by law from all corporal punishment, according to the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

It's become clear that the vision for child discipline worldwide remains in contention in the United States.

The only membered country in the U.N. that is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)¹ is the United States.

The fear of the CRC is that the government could have "unlimited interference in family life," stated Atlas Corps, an international nonprofit. Atlas added that the positives would mean empowering children's rights and protections and increasing the competencies of parents to bring up their children.

Perhaps the new generation of parents and soon-to-be parents have a more unified stance than previous generations with science and the mental health community having a larger influence.

CNN put out an article on June 28, 2021, titled "Spanking can worsen a child's behavior and do real harm, study finds," that reviewed the mixed results of 13 out of 19 independent studies on whether spanking and other forms of child punishment created external behavioral problems over time.

The article cited one study that found that children who were punished gained "fewer cognitive skills" than those who were not physically punished.

According to a Monitoring the Future study, spanking has declined in the United States from 50% to 35% between 1993 and 2017. The analysis surveyed high school seniors in 1993 and surveyed those with children again in 2017.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended alternatives to parents and guardians spanking children in early youth.

"Parents should distract, by giving them other things to do that are less disruptive or picking them up and moving them to a different place. That's all they can do," Dr. Robert Sege of the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a CNN interview.

_{1. "The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most comprehensive instrument, which protects children’s civil, political, as well as social, health, economic and cultural rights. It is built on the idea of child’s best interests and welfare, as well as protects children against all forms of discrimination" (Atlas Corps)}