The Punishment of Children

The Punishment of Children by Felix Adler. Over the past few decades, we have seen a major shift in perspectives concerning the physical punishment of children. Physical punishment is a widely debated technique of discipline that can focus on spanking, slapping, and hitting with an object using mild to extreme degrees of force. Punishment can be used to instill immediate compliance as it acts as a reminder to the child that there are consequences to their actions. The ethical nurture of the child is a distinct responsibility which no parent can neglect with impunity. When ignorant of the more elementary principles of punishment, parents easily fall into one of two serious errors. The use of harsh and severely arbitrary methods causes the child's fine ethical sensibilities to become dull. Through indifference or careless neglect, the child becomes willful, erratic, or self-indulgent. In this study Dr. Adler, with remarkable skill, guides the parent between these two extremes. He shows that it is possible to be consistent without being harsh, gentle without being vacillating. The mastery of the art of punishment is also one of the most direct means of ethical self-culture. It is to be hoped that a careful study of this subject may result in a refinement of the attitude of parents toward each other, as well as toward their children.