Why the American Psychological Association says parents shouldn't spank their kids
Motherly Motherly
  • Pregnancy
    • Getting Pregnant
      • Infertility
      • Surrogacy
      • Adoption
      • Miscarriage & Loss
      • Pre-Pregnancy Shopping Guides
    • Registry Guide
      • Feeding
      • Toys & Books
      • Diapering Essentials
      • Bedtime & Bathtime
      • Baby Clothing
      • Baby Gear
      • For Mama
      • Health & Safety
    • Pregnancy
      • First Trimester
      • Second Trimester
      • Third Trimester
      • Pregnancy Products
    • Baby Names
      • Baby Names By Month
      • Popular Baby Names
      • Unique Baby Names
    • Birth
      • C-Section
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Birth Stories
    • Postpartum
      • Fourth Trimester
      • Parental Leave
      • Postpartum Products
  • Parenting
    • Baby
      • Sleep Guides & Schedules
      • Feeding Guides & Schedules
      • Milestone Guides
      • Health
      • Learn & Play
      • Products
    • Toddler
      • Memorable Moments
      • Milestones
      • Sleep
      • Nutrition
      • Health
      • Learn & Play
      • Products
    • Child
      • Health
      • Milestones
      • Sleep
      • Nutrition
      • Learn & Play
      • Products
    • Teen
      • Tween
      • Issues
      • Nutrition
      • Health
      • Activities
  • Life
    • Beauty & Style
      • Style
      • Beauty
      • Beauty & Style Shopping Guides
    • Food
      • Meal Planning & Shopping
      • Nutrition
      • Entertaining
    • Motherly Stories
      • Personal Essays
    • Home
      • Home Decor
      • Home Shopping Guides
    • Career & Money
      • Work & Motherhood
      • Family Finances & Budgeting
      • Taxes
    • State of Motherhood
    • News
      • Viral & Trending
      • Celebrity News
    • Health & Wellness
      • Covid
      • Women’s Health
      • Children’s Health
      • It’s Science
      • Mental Health
      • Self Care
      • Fitness
      • Health & Wellness Shopping Guide
    • Travel
    • Entertainment
      • What To Read
      • What To Watch
    • Holidays
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Christmas
      • Kwanzaa
      • Hanukkah
    • Relationships
      • Single Parenting
      • Blended Families
      • Community & Friendship
      • Marriage & Partnerships
      • Grandparents & Extended Families
  • Shop
    • Mother’s Day Gifts
    • Pregnancy
      • Stretch Mark Cream
      • Pregnancy Pillows
      • Maternity Pajamas
      • Maternity Workout Clothes
      • Compression Socks
      • All Pregnancy Products
    • Toddler Products
      • Pikler Triangles
      • Toddler Sleep Sacks
      • Toddler Scooters
      • Water Tables
      • Sippy Cups
      • All Toddler Products
    • Postpartum
      • Breastmilk Coolers
      • Postpartum Pajamas
      • Postpartum Underwear
      • Postpartum Shapewear
      • All Postpartum Products
    • Child Products
      • Kid Pajamas
      • Play Couches
      • Kids’ Backpacks
      • Kids’ Bikes
      • Kids’ Travel Gear
      • All Child Products
    • Baby Products
      • Baby Wraps
      • Baby Swaddles
      • Eco-Friendly Diapers
      • Baby Bathtubs
      • Splat Mats
      • All Baby Products
    • Beauty & Style Products
      • Pregnancy-safe Skincare
      • Diaper Bags
      • Maternity Jeans
      • Matching Family Swimwear
      • Mama Necklaces
      • All Beauty and Style Products
  • Classes
    • Classes
      • All Classes
      • Free Classes By Motherly
      • Parenting & Family Topics
      • Postpartum
      • Sleep
      • Toddler Topics
      • TTC & Pregnancy
      • Wellness & Fitness
  • Podcasts
  • Join the list!
  • Please wait..
×
Clear

Home / Health & Wellness

Why the American Psychological Association says parents shouldn’t spank their kids

Corporal punishment doesn't work. Here's what does.

By Heather Marcoux Updated May. 01, 2019

  • Rectangle
Categories:
Health & Wellness, It's Science, Life

Related articles

CPS1 - A child in the hospital
Health & Wellness
A mom’s brave decision helped save her baby’s life—and may change medicine for millions
Updated May. 16, 2025
chili pregnancy
Women's Health
Spicing up your pregnancy: How chili may lower gestational diabetes risk
Updated Apr. 02, 2025
Measles
Health & Wellness
Why one MMR dose isn’t enough: a pediatrician clears up measles vaccine myths
Updated Mar. 23, 2025
A baby with measles
Health & Wellness
Measles outbreak: What parents need to know to keep their kids safe
Updated May. 01, 2025
Life
I don’t want to be a helicopter parent—but parenting today makes it hard to let go
Updated Feb. 20, 2025

More articles like this

Function health: A lady answering questions at a doctor s office
Health & Wellness
I tried Function Health: How one platform helped me better understand my body

Here’s my experience with Function Health—and how it has already impacted how I approach wellness.

Updated Feb. 04, 2025
Health & Wellness
A doctor explaining how saline solution can be a great cold remedy for kids
Health & Wellness
Can this simple saline solution help kids get over colds faster? Science says yes

Not only can it shorten the time kids spend feeling sick, but it can also reduce the chances of other family members catching the illness.

Updated Jan. 14, 2025
Health & Wellness, Children's Health
Parents holding their kids
Safety
Protect your family from wildfire smoke: What parents and pregnant people need to know

While most research has focused on general air pollution, emerging studies indicate that wildfire smoke can have similar health effects.

Updated Jan. 14, 2025
Safety, Children's Health, Health & Wellness, Parenting, Women's Health
Iron infusion: An image of a pregnant woman holding her belly
Health & Wellness
Iron infusions: A new global standard for boosting pregnancy outcomes?

A groundbreaking study has revealed that a single iron infusion during the third trimester can significantly reduce anemia in pregnant women

Updated Jan. 10, 2025
Health & Wellness, Women's Health
Norovirus and pregnancy: A pregnant women who is unwell
Baby
Norovirus and pregnancy: What you need to know to protect yourself and your baby

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, more commonly known as the “stomach bug” or “stomach flu.” 

Updated Jan. 03, 2025
Baby, Baby Health, Children's Health, Health & Wellness, Women's Health
Flu and pregnancy - How your pregnant body develops a natural flu defence. A woman holding her pregnant belly.
Health & Wellness
Pregnancy’s hidden superpower: scientists discover natural flu defense that protects moms and babies

A study from McGill University shows that pregnancy might activate a natural flu defense in your body—keeping you and your baby safer. 

Updated Dec. 03, 2024
Health & Wellness, Children's Health, Pregnancy, Women's Health
Importance of sleep - A mother cradling her sleeping newborn
Health & Wellness
Why moms need to prioritize sleep—and how to make it happen

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health highlights just how important regular sleep is for our health.

Updated Nov. 28, 2024
Health & Wellness, Women's Health
new study on cutting sugar during pregnancy and first two years of babys life
News
New study: Cutting sugar in the first 1,000 days could shape your baby’s health for life

New research shows just how powerful nutrition during the first 1,000 days—from pregnancy through age two—can be in shaping lifelong health. 

Updated Nov. 04, 2024
News, Baby, Baby Health, Children's Health, Health & Wellness

Featured Posts

Midwives can reduce maternal deaths
News
Midwives could cut maternal deaths nearly in half—this new data shows what’s standing in the way

In 2021, the U.S. maternal mortality rate hit 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the CDC.

Updated Jul. 08, 2025
News, Health & Wellness, Women's Health
A kid with a screen
Parenting
How screen time affects sleep—and why it matters for your child’s mental health

You want your child to unwind. You want to avoid a meltdown. But you also want them to get the sleep they need.

Updated Jul. 04, 2025
Parenting, Baby, Baby Health, Children's Health, Health & Wellness
Microplastics in a plate
Health & Wellness
Everyday plastics are leaking into our food—here’s what parents need to know now

Normal, everyday actions, like twisting the cap off a water bottle, unwrapping deli meat, or microwaving leftovers in a plastic container

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
Health & Wellness, Baby, Baby Health, Children's Health
jwoww on son's sensory processing disorder
Health & Wellness
“I just remember crying”: JWoww shares the airport moment with her son that changed everything

"We were sitting in TSA, and he decided he didn’t like that. He ripped my glasses off, broke them, and head-butted me."

Updated Jul. 03, 2025
Health & Wellness, Celebrity News, Mental Health, News
Jwoww on postpartum psychosis
Health & Wellness
JWoww’s postpartum psychosis journey inspired a haunting film—because no one believed her

"Whether it's real or not, it's real to that person," she said.

Updated Jul. 02, 2025
Health & Wellness, Celebrity News, Mental Health, News

Most Popular Posts in Health & Wellness

Credit: Canva / Motherly
Health & Wellness
Tomato recall now classified as highest risk level—here’s what families need to know

The FDA has elevated part of a multi-state tomato recall to Class I, the most serious level.

Updated Jun. 04, 2025
Health & Wellness, Children's Health
mums in 40s
Birth
A historic shift: More babies now born to women over 40 than to teens

According to a brand new report from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System, births among women in their 40s have more than tripled since 1990, while the teen birth rate has plummeted to a historic low.

Updated Apr. 03, 2025
Birth, Birth Stories, Getting Pregnant, Health & Wellness, Women's Health
social media and kids
Parenting
We’re the first generation raising kids born with screens in their hands—what new research says about their mental health

Turns out, smartphone ownership might not be the doom spiral we’ve all been warned about—in fact, it might actually help our kids thrive.

Updated Mar. 26, 2025
Parenting, Children's Health, Health & Wellness
egg recall inked to salmonella outbreak
News
1.7 million eggs recalled across 9 states after salmonella outbreak

The recall affects brown cage-free and certified organic eggs distributed by August Egg Company, based in Hilmar, CA.

Updated Jun. 12, 2025
News, Health & Wellness
Drinks for kids: Boy drinking milk
Health & Wellness
Water and milk are the only recommended beverages for kids, according to a new expert panel

While juice has long been marketed as a healthy option, experts stress that even 100% fruit juice should be limited due to its high sugar content and lack of fiber.

Updated Jan. 31, 2025
Health & Wellness, Children's Health
low libido: pregnant woman in kitchen with partner
Life
Pregnancy kills my libido, so here’s how my partner and I get creative

Because the romance doesn’t have to end—even when you’re taking a break from sex.

Updated Apr. 04, 2023
Life, Health & Wellness, Marriage & Partnerships, Pregnancy, Relationships, Third Trimester, Women's Health
Credit is: safety1st.com
Health & Wellness
180,000 Safety 1st car seats recalled over choking hazard—what parents need to know

An issue with the headrest has led to 13 case reports, but no injuries have been reported.

Updated Apr. 27, 2025
Health & Wellness, Children's Health
avocado
Baby
This surprising pregnancy snack could cut your baby’s allergy risk—here’s what to know

If you’ve been craving avocados, you’re not just fueling your body with healthy fats—you might also be supporting your baby’s immune system in a seriously powerful way.

Updated Apr. 23, 2025
Baby, Baby Health, Children's Health, Health & Wellness

The Latest Posts

Mom talking about Postpartum USA vs Mexico
Postpartum
New mom compares postpartum in a Mexican vs. American household—and the difference is everything

She opens up about the stark contrast between her American mother’s approach to postpartum and that of her Mexican mother-in-law, and how that difference reshaped her understanding of what new mothers truly need.

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
Postpartum, Birth
a collage of a woman and a boy
News
Chalk, a squirt gun, and 18 minutes of peace: A mom’s low-key win goes viral

As hilarious and relatable as the tweet is, it touches on a deeper conversation resonating with exhausted moms everywhere.

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
News, Viral & Trending
Facebook reel shows grandparents love
News
When her dad held her baby, time folded in on itself

“No one send this to my dad, he will cry…”

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
News, Viral & Trending
Ellavate Wagon
Shop
The Ellavate wagon review: Is an electric-powered stroller wagon really worth it?

It was smooth, easy to push (even fully loaded), and made the long, winding walk through the water park actually doable.

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
Shop
Mochidream Beauty
Shop
Mochidream: The safe tween skincare line that my Sephora girl loves

I found Mochidream—a brand founded by two moms who get it.

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
Shop
A man lying in bed - Viral Tiktok
News
This dad got roasted by his 3-year-old at bedtime—and the internet is siding with her

“I’m not saying I love you, I’m not saying goodnight.”

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
News, Viral & Trending
7-year-olds spray tan sparks debate
News
The internet exploded over this 7-year-old’s spray tan—but the parenting debate runs deeper

"I think the internet gets triggered quite easily these days, especially when it comes to the way people choose to parent their children.”

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
News, Viral & Trending
a collage of people in a pool - Instagram mom shares postpartum advice
News
Grieving your pre-baby self? This powerful message is changing how moms see postpartum

“Mourn her, then meet the new you.”

Updated Jul. 11, 2025
News, Viral & Trending

We believe in creating a world in which all mothers are thriving

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Share Your Story

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Diversity Commitment
  • Careers At Motherly
  • Partner with Us
  • Press
  • MotherlyInsights
  • Privacy & Security
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • About Our Ads
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Glossary

© 2025 Motherly. All Rights Reserved.

×