When does discipline become child abuse? 

Parenting can be one of the most massive learning experiences of your entire life. With such a variety of parenting styles it is difficult to say if you’re doing something wrong or even worse actively abusing your child.

As someone who interacts with children every day I believe when it comes to discipline there are lines that must be drawn. 

It is in my hopes that the way parents are disciplining their children is no longer going to be overlooked just because families parenting can be so diverse.

To start off where many parents are going wrong is not giving the discipline that is appropriate for the child's age. Alan Kazdin, a professor of Child Psychology, discusses different techniques on how to handle a toddler up to a teenager.  

A common discipline technique that is used frequently is spanking. This is heavily practiced in homes,  especially when the child is young of age. 

More than half of parents in 2016 reported that they do spank their child. This is crucial because the first five years are important for the development process of the child. 

There are studies that if improper care is provided in the crucial years of development this can effect them deep in the brain. This will lead to behavior issues in the future causing the cycle of constant discipline to continue. 

There is scientific evidence that this excessive punishment could cause the child to suffer from heart disease, respiratory disease and much more due to the amount of stress being put on the child at such a young age. 

Furthermore, the US has the highest child maltreatment rates. There are 4 million kids involved in reports child abuse. This is superior compared to other countries in the world. Which is why we need to turn our attention to it and make a change fast.

Within those reports emotional abuse is at the top, but this is hardly discussed. 

Why is this abuse so overlooked?

Well, this is the most dangerous type of abuse of them all because it is not easily recognized. Unlike physical abuse where you have evidence this abuse you have to look deeper into the child's thinking process.

Have you ever been so exhausted from work that dealing with your child's behavior fell at the bottom of your priority list? 

Every parent has, but there is no excuse to take it out on them.

A child won’t report when they are getting abused because of the fear installed in them. 

As a parent your values should be to teach your child and have your child learn from their mistakes. 

The focus needs to be on discussing what they did wrong not just jumping into the punishment without explanation. 

This will only cause the child to feel confusion, and anger. 

That's why we need to unplug from our cell phones, leave the problems from work at the door..

And start noticing changes in behavior of our children and their routines because if this goes untreated, your child will want to find an escape. Which is what leads to drug and alcohol abuse. When a child is abused they are fifteen times more likely to abuse alcohol and nine times more likely to abuse drugs. 

To continue, we need to be more vigilant in our how we are handling our child's unacceptable behavior.  After all you could be preventing health issues, addictions, and more in your child's future.