Three (okay four) points:
More parents should be chastised than takes place in society at the moment. The parents who raise their kids in whatever way are to a very great extent responsible for how the next generation turns out and how self-sufficient/reliant on society they end up. Therefore, parenting is not a private thing. If it means that we will be raising a generation that is better adjusted and healthy, then yes, an individual's parenting method should be judged by society.
Also, I am shocked to hear that there are examples of girls being beaten. "Traditional" corporal punishment is often patriarchal. Because girls ought to be sheltered from violence, corporal punishment for girls is not appropriate. If you consider corporal punishment from a traditional, patriarchal perspective, the corporal punishment of girls should simply not happen.
Finally, the appropriateness of corporal punishment is informed by the development of the child. If you have a toddler or five-year-old who isn't capable of dealing with abstract thoughts, then a slap on the wrist immediately after the act you are trying to punish might be appropriate. But if the child is older and is able to abstractly think about relationships (grade school onwards), then corporal punishment can be internalized and that would put the parent-child relationship at risk, especially if the child is not submissive or authoritarian.
In general though, corporal punishment is not appropriate. I wouldn't even hit my dog, if I had one, why would I hit a vulnerable human being (let alone my own offspring)? I would be treating them worse than an animal, and that is, by the face of it, an extremely disrespectful and dishonourable act, even if I had good intentions and even achieved good results.
More parents should be chastised than takes place in society at the moment. The parents who raise their kids in whatever way are to a very great extent responsible for how the next generation turns out and how self-sufficient/reliant on society they end up. Therefore, parenting is not a private thing. If it means that we will be raising a generation that is better adjusted and healthy, then yes, an individual's parenting method should be judged by society.
Also, I am shocked to hear that there are examples of girls being beaten. "Traditional" corporal punishment is often patriarchal. Because girls ought to be sheltered from violence, corporal punishment for girls is not appropriate. If you consider corporal punishment from a traditional, patriarchal perspective, the corporal punishment of girls should simply not happen.
Finally, the appropriateness of corporal punishment is informed by the development of the child. If you have a toddler or five-year-old who isn't capable of dealing with abstract thoughts, then a slap on the wrist immediately after the act you are trying to punish might be appropriate. But if the child is older and is able to abstractly think about relationships (grade school onwards), then corporal punishment can be internalized and that would put the parent-child relationship at risk, especially if the child is not submissive or authoritarian.
In general though, corporal punishment is not appropriate. I wouldn't even hit my dog, if I had one, why would I hit a vulnerable human being (let alone my own offspring)? I would be treating them worse than an animal, and that is, by the face of it, an extremely disrespectful and dishonourable act, even if I had good intentions and even achieved good results.
