Few things reach the level of controversy in the world of parenting that corporal punishment does.
In recent years, this issue has been visited and revisited time and again with sharply contrasting viewpoints. In May of this year, the Montreal Gazette reported on a study by Dr. Harriet MacMillan that was published last October in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. It came down squarely on the side of abolishing corporal punishment of our children. MacMillan's research was generated from 9,953 Ontario residents and associated frequency of slapping and spanking with a lifetime prevalence of psychiatric problems, including alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as anxiety. Although the message behind MacMillan's research is not to criticize parents, but to emphasize the importance of alternative strategies for discipline, she has been widely and sharply criticized.