Spanking and Discipline During and After an Arizona Divorce
While there is no law against spanking children as part of an overall discipline system, and many mental health professional agree that an occasional and properly used spanking may be an effective tool in raising children, parents going through a divorce or who have gone through a divorce should be very cautious about spanking their children.
During marriage, when both parents are working together as a team and support one another, spanking may be appropriate. However, too often a spanking during a pending divorce or after a divorce may be blown out of proportion and designated by the other parent as child abuse or abusive behavior. An unsporting parent can use a spanking to turn children away from the spanking parent as a form of parental alienation, or use the incident to commence a long and drawn out court battle.
Additionally, a spanked child that is in a loving home with two loving parents may receive a completely different message than would a child who is filled with self-doubts and confusion caused by the loss of his or her family and the structure that he or she was accustomed to prior to the divorce. Children struggling with emotional setbacks may not respond the same to a spanking.
Furthermore, even if eventually proven to not have been abusive, the financial costs of defending oneself against a potential criminal child abuse case and a family law custody battle simply make it not worth the risk to spank a child or use any other form of physical punishment.
There are many books available, and counselors with whom one may speak with regarding alternate forms of discipline and punishment that may be more appropriate.
While it is important to maintain discipline during and after a divorce, one should be cautioned to consider the possible consequences before choosing to spank a child.
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