Many scientists now suggest scolding your child by alternate means rather than spanking.
A special research task force of the American Psychological Association (APA) recently stated that, “parents and caregivers should reduce and potentially eliminate their use of any physical punishment as a disciplinary measure,” according to the January 2010 issue of “Scientific American Mind” magazine.
The group of 15 child development psychologists, headed by Sandra A. Graham-Bermann of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, concluded that such physical discipline (often referred to as corporal punishment) may lead to “an increase in childhood anxiety and depression” as well as “behavioral problems, including aggression and impaired cognitive development.”