‘77% parents spank kids at home’

MUMBAI: At a time when the Right to Education (RTE) Act prohibits any form of corporal punishment against children in schools, a survey has revealed that kids still face spanking at home.

A recently conducted nationwide survey has highlighted that 77.5% parents resort to hitting kids, with 28% admitting that they do this on a regular basis.

Of over 1,790 parents, who were interviewed, almost 80% of mothers revealed how they are the ones playing the bad cop at homes compared to fathers, when it comes to encouraging discipline among children.

“This clearly shows the lack of shared responsibility when it comes to disciplining children, as many mothers are stay-at-home moms whereas fathers get to play

the good cop. Not only have mothers said they spank their children, but it’s surprising how they do so despite knowing the effects spanking can have on children,” said Ruchita Dar Shah, founder, First Moms Club (India), an online community that connects over one lakh parents across the globe. The survey was conducted by the First Moms Club along with Early Childhood Association (ECA) and Born Smart.

Almost 72% of surveyed parents revealed that they felt guilty almost immediately after raising their hands on their kids, and another 19% parents also believed this to be the only way to discipline their children.

“76.4% parents said they chose to raise their hands as the child ‘irritates’ them, and they eventually lose their cool… Most parents agreed that they ended up raising their hands on children either during meals or during bedtime,” highlights the survey.

Almost 69% parents also knew about the effects spanking has on children, but found themselves losing their temper often.

While the survey highlights the problem at hand, parents were also asked about their reasons behind their choice of ensuring discipline among children.

Shah highlighted how the survey sample size includes a majority of qualified and working professionals, all of whom are aware of the effect of spanking or pinching children.

“But the society always puts extra pressure on mothers to be the best at every step, and somehow, this does affect them. The way out would be equal sharing of responsibilities between both parents, especially when it comes to disciplining children.”

Swati Popat Vats, president of ECA, India said, “The purpose of the survey was not to embarrass parents, but to bring this topic out in the open and raise more awareness about the same. We want to encourage trust based parenting over force based parenting.”