Editing Spanking

{{Short description|Corporal punishment of striking the buttocks}}
{{About|the punishment form of spanking|consensual activities|Erotic spanking}}
{{redirect|Spank|the song|Spank (song)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}[[File:Back to Common Sense - Vintage 1937 Spanking Manual.jpg|thumb|Cropped portrait of a mother spanking her child from a 1937 parenting book]]'''Spanking''' is a form of [[corporal punishment]] involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the [[buttocks]] of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or implement, though the use of certain implements can also be characterized as other, more specific types of corporal punishment such as [[belting (beating)|belting]], [[caning]], [[Paddle (spanking)|paddling]] and [[slippering]].

Some parents spank [[child]]ren in response to undesired behavior.<ref name="Zolotor2014">{{cite journal|last1=Zolotor|first1=AJ|title=Corporal punishment|journal=Pediatric Clinics of North America|date=October 2014|volume=61|issue=5|pages=971–8|doi=10.1016/j.pcl.2014.06.003|pmid=25242709|type=Review|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sylvester, Foster|first=Charles Herbert, Ellsworth D.|date=1919|title=The New Practical Reference Library, Volume 2|journal=The New Practical Reference Library|volume=2}}</ref> Adults more commonly spank boys than girls both at home and in school.<ref name=Primordial/> Some countries have [[Child corporal punishment laws|outlawed the spanking of children]] in every setting, including homes, schools, and [[Prison|penal institutions]],<ref name="States which">{{cite web |title=States which have prohibited all corporal punishment |url=http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/progress/prohibiting-states/ |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502150851/http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org:80/progress/prohibiting-states |archive-date=2 May 2018 |publisher=Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children}}</ref> while others permit it when done by a parent or [[Legal guardian|guardian]].

Research shows that spanking is ineffective and harmful,<ref name="Zolotor2014" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Gershoff |first=Elizabeth T. |date=September 2013 |title=Spanking and Child Development: We Know Enough Now to Stop Hitting Our Children |journal=Child Development Perspectives |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=133–137 |doi=10.1111/cdep.12038 |pmc=3768154 |pmid=24039629}}</ref> leading to increased aggression, mental health issues,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=MacMillan |first1=HL |last2=Mikton |first2=CR |date=September 2017 |title=Moving research beyond the spanking debate. |journal=Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=71 |pages=5–8 |doi=10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.02.012 |pmid=28249733}}</ref> and decreased obedience in children, prompting medical organizations to strongly discourage its use in favor of healthier discipline strategies.<ref name="AAPSege2018" /><ref name="RCPCHPositionStatement" /><ref name="RACPPositionStatement" />

==Terminology==
{{corporal punishment}}

In [[American English]], dictionaries define spanking as being administered with either the open hand or an implement such as a [[paddle (spanking)|paddle]].<ref>American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: "Spank: To slap on the buttocks with a flat object or with the open hand, as for punishment."</ref> Thus, the standard form of corporal punishment in US schools (use of a paddle) is often referred to as a ''spanking''. In [[North America]], the word "spanking" has often been used as a synonym for an official paddling in school,<ref>E.g. "Corporal punishment — spanking or paddling the student — may be used as a discipline management technique .... The instrument to be used in administering corporal punishment shall be approved by the principal or designee".[http://www.mwpisd.esc18.net/mhs/student_handbook/07_08/stu_handbook07_08.htm Texas Association of School Boards&nbsp;– Standard Code of Conduct wording.] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070625124440/http://www.mwpisd.esc18.net/mhs/student_handbook/07_08/stu_handbook07_08.htm |date=25 June 2007 }}</ref> and sometimes even as a euphemism for the formal corporal punishment of adults in an institution.<ref>See e.g. [https://www.corpun.com/cajur3.htm Evidence of Colonel G. Headly Basher, Deputy Minister for Reform Institutions, Ontario], Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on Capital and Corporal Punishment and Lotteries, Canada, 1953–55.</ref>

In [[British English]], most dictionaries define "spanking" as being given only with the open hand.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary: "Spank: To slap or smack (a person, esp. a child) with the open hand." Collins English Dictionary: "Spank: To slap or smack with the open hand, esp. on the buttocks."</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, the word "smacking" is generally used in preference to "spanking" when describing striking with an open hand, rather than with an implement. Whereas a spanking is invariably administered to the bottom, a "smacking" is less specific and may refer to slapping the child's hands, arms, or legs as well as its bottom.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary: "Smack: To strike (a person, part of the body, etc.) with the open hand or with something having a flat surface; to slap. Also spec. to chastise (a child) in this manner and fig."</ref>

== Effect on children ==
The main reasons parents give for spanking their children are to make children more [[compliance (psychology)|compliant]] and to promote better behavior, especially to put a stop to their children's apparent [[aggression|aggressive]] behaviors. {{citation needed|date=October 2022}} However, research has shown that spanking (or any other form of corporal punishment) is associated with the opposite effect.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /><ref name="AAPSege2018" /> When adults physically punish children, the children tend to obey parents less with time and develop more aggressive behaviors, including toward other children.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> This increase in aggressive behavior appears to reflect the [[Social learning theory|child's perception]] that hitting is the way to deal with anger and frustration.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> 

There are also many adverse physical, mental, and emotional effects correlated with spanking and other forms of corporal punishment, including various physical [[injury|injuries]], increased [[anxiety]], [[depression (mood)|depression]], and [[antisocial behavior]].<ref name="Zolotor2014" /><ref name="Development">{{cite journal |last=Gershoff |first=Elizabeth T. |date=September 2013 |title=Spanking and Child Development: We Know Enough Now to Stop Hitting Our Children |journal=Child Development Perspectives |publisher=The Society for Research in Child Development |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=133–137 |doi=10.1111/cdep.12038 |pmc=3768154 |pmid=24039629}}</ref><ref name="MacMillan2017">{{cite journal |last1=MacMillan |first1=HL |last2=Mikton |first2=CR |date=September 2017 |title=Moving research beyond the spanking debate. |url=http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/31256/1/Final%20with%20Abstract_CRM.pdf |journal=Child Abuse & Neglect |volume=71 |pages=5–8 |doi=10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.02.012 |pmid=28249733}}</ref> Adults who were spanked during their childhood are more likely to abuse their children and spouse.<ref name="Zolotor2014" />

The [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] (AAP), [[Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health]] (RCPCH), and the [[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]] (RACP) all recommend that no child should be spanked and instead favor the use of effective, healthy forms of discipline.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /><ref name="AAPSege2018" /><ref name="RCPCHPositionStatement">{{cite web |title=Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Position Statement on corporal punishment |url=http://rcpch.adlibhosting.com/files/Corporal%20Punishment%20Position%20Statement%202009-11.pdf |website=rcpch.adlibhosting.com |publisher=The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health}}</ref><ref name="RACPPositionStatement">{{cite web |title=Position Statement: Physical Punishment of Children |url=https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/physical-punishment-of-children.pdf |website=www.racp.edu.au |publisher=The Royal Australasian College of Physicians}}</ref> Additionally, the AAP recommends that [[primary care provider]]s (e.g., [[pediatrician]]s and [[family medicine]] [[physician]]s)  begin to discuss parents' discipline methods no later than nine months of age and consider initiating such discussions by age 3–4 months.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> By eight months of age, 5% of parents report spanking and 5% report starting to spank by age three months.<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> The AAP also recommends that pediatricians discuss effective discipline strategies and counsel parents about the ineffectiveness of spanking and the risks of harmful effects associated with the practice to minimize harm to children and guide parents.<ref name="AAPSege2018" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Orentlicher |first=David |date=1998 |title=Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing Pain |url=https://ssrn.com/abstract=2028343 |journal=Houston Law Review |volume=38 |pages=147}}</ref>

Although parents and other advocates of spanking often claim that spanking is necessary to promote [[child discipline]], studies have shown that parents tend to apply physical punishment inconsistently and tend to spank more often when they are angry or under [[stress (psychology)|stress]].<ref name="Guidance">{{Cite journal |author=Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health |date=April 1998 |title=Guidance for effective discipline |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/101/4/723 |journal=Pediatrics |publisher=American Academy of Pediatrics |volume=101 |issue=4 Pt 1 |pages=723–8 |doi=10.1542/peds.101.4.723 |pmid=9521967 |s2cid=79545678}}</ref> The use of corporal punishment by parents increases the likelihood that children will suffer [[physical abuse]],<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> and most documented cases of physical abuse in Canada and the United States begin as disciplinary spankings.<ref name="Gershoff2010">{{cite journal |author=Gershoff, Elizabeth T. |date=Spring 2010 |title=More Harm Than Good: A Summary of Scientific Research on the Intended and Unintended Effects of Corporal Punishment on Children |url=http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/lcp/vol73/iss2/3/ |journal=Law & Contemporary Problems |publisher=Duke University School of Law |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=31–56}}</ref> If a child is frequently spanked, this form of corporal punishment tends to become less effective at modifying behavior over time (also known as extinction).<ref name="Zolotor2014" /> In response to the decreased effectiveness of spanking, some parents increase the frequency or severity of spanking or use an object.<ref name="Zolotor2014" />

== Alternatives to spanking ==
Parents may spank less – or not at all – if they have learned effective discipline techniques since many view spanking as a last resort to discipline their children.<ref name="AAPSege2018" /> There are many alternatives to spanking and other forms of corporal punishment:
*Time-in, increasing praise, and special time to promote desired behaviors
*[[Time-out (parenting)|Time outs]] to take a break from escalating misbehavior
*[[Positive reinforcement]] of rewarding desirable behavior with a star, sticker, or treat
*Implementing non-physical [[punishment (psychology)]] in which an unpleasant consequence follows misbehavior, such as taking away a privilege
*Ignoring low-level misbehaviors and prioritizing attention on more significant forms of misbehavior
*Avoiding the opportunity for misbehavior and thus the need for corrective discipline.<ref name="Zolotor2014" />

==In the home==

{{Main|Corporal punishment in the home}}[[File:A spanking good time.jpg|thumb|left|Representation from 1895 of a mother spanking her child on the bare bottom with a hairbrush for breaking the vase]]
[[File:Correction that corrects high res.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait of mother spanking her child from the 1925 parenting book Correction that Corrects]]

Parents commonly spank their children as a form of [[corporal punishment]] in the [[United States]]; however, support for this practice appears to be declining amongst U.S. parents.<ref name="Zolotor2014"/><ref name="AAPSege2018">{{cite journal |last1=Sege |first1=RD |last2=Siegel |first2=BS|title=Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children |journal=Pediatrics |date=December 2018 |volume=142 |issue=6 |pages=e20183112 |doi=10.1542/peds.2018-3112 |pmid=30397164|s2cid=53239513 |type=Review|doi-access=free }}</ref> Spanking is typically done with one or more [[Slapping (strike)|slaps]] on the child's [[buttocks]] with a bare hand, although, not uncommonly, various objects are used to spank children, such as a hairbrush or wooden spoon.<ref name="Zolotor2014"/> Historically, adults have spanked boys more than girls.<ref name=Primordial>{{cite book |author1=Straus, Murray A. |author2=Douglas, Emily M. |author3=Madeiros, Rose Ann |title=The Primordial Violence: Spanking Children, Psychological Development, Violence, and Crime |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |date=2013 |isbn=978-1848729537 |pages=31–32}}</ref><ref name="Elder">{{Cite journal|title=Family Structure and Child Rearing Patterns: The Effect of Family Size and Sex Composition|jstor=2090309 |journal=[[American Sociological Review]] |year=1963 |first=G.H. |last=Elder|author2=Bowerman, C. E.  |volume=28 |issue= 6|pages=891–905 |doi=10.2307/2090309}}</ref> In the United States, adults commonly spank [[toddler]]s the most.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Straus, Murray A.|title=Prevalence, Societal Causes, and Trends in Corporal Punishment by Parents in World Perspective|journal=Law and Contemporary Problems|date=Spring 2010|volume=73|issue=2|url=http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1564&context=lcp|publisher=Duke University School of Law|format=PDF|quote=Figure 1. Corporal Punishment Begins With Infants, Is Highest For Toddlers, And Continues Into The Teen Years For Many Children}}</ref> 

==In schools==
{{Main|School corporal punishment}}[[File:Koerperstrafe- MA Birkenrute.jpg |thumb|left |Medieval representation of a schoolboy being birched]][[File: SPANK SCULACCIATA.jpg|thumb|left|Drawing from 1821 showing a school teacher from [[Rome]] spanking a student]] Corporal punishment, usually delivered with an implement (such as a paddle or cane) rather than with the open hand, used to be a common form of school discipline in many countries, but it is now banned in most of the Western World.
Corporal punishment, such as caning, remains a common form of discipline in schools in several Asian and African countries, even in countries in which this practice has been deemed illegal such as [[India]] and [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pak |first1=Jennifer |title=Malaysia's love for the cane is questioned |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26883902 |work=BBC News |date=5 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Corporal punishment 'widespread' in Indian schools |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11617206 |access-date=20 June 2018 |work=BBC News |date=25 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Seale |first1=Lebogang |title=Severe corporal punishment still carried out at many SA schools |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/severe-corporal-punishment-still-carried-out-at-many-sa-schools-11514666 |access-date=20 June 2018 |publisher=IOL |date=7 October 2017}}</ref> In these cultures it is referred to as "caning" and not "spanking."
The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in 1977 held that the paddling of school students was not ''per se'' unlawful.<ref>''[[Ingraham v. Wright]]'', 97, S.Ct. 1401 (1977).</ref> However, 33 states have now banned paddling in public schools. It is still common in some schools in the South, and more than 167,000 students were paddled in the 2011–2012 school year in American public schools.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/corporal-punishment/420420/ |title=The States Where Teachers Can Still Spank Students |last=Anderson |first=Melinda D. |website=The Atlantic |access-date=10 May 2016 |date=15 December 2015}}</ref> Students can be physically punished from kindergarten to the end of high school, meaning that even [[adult]]s who have reached the [[age of majority]] are sometimes spanked by school officials.<ref name="corpun">{{cite web |url= https://www.corpun.com/counuss.htm |title= Corporal punishment in US schools |author= C. Farrell |date=October 2016 |website= www.corpun.com}}</ref>

Several medical, pediatric, or psychological societies have issued statements opposing all forms of corporal punishment in schools, citing such outcomes as poorer academic achievements, increases in antisocial behaviors, injuries to students, and an unwelcoming learning environment. They include the [[American Medical Association]],<ref name="NCACPS list">[https://www.ama-assn.org/ssl3/ecomm/PolicyFinderForm.pl?site=www.ama-assn.org&uri=/resources/html/PolicyFinder/policyfiles/HnE/H-515.995.HTM "H-515.995 Corporal Punishment in Schools"]. American Medical Association.</ref> the [[American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry]],<ref name=AACAP>{{cite web |title=Corporal Punishment in Schools |url=https://www.aacap.org/aacap/policy_statements/1988/Corporal_Punishment_in_Schools.aspx |publisher=American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |date=September 2014}}</ref> the [[American Psychoanalytic Association]],<ref name="APSAPositionStatement">{{cite web |title=Position Statement on Corporal/Physical Punishment |url=http://www.apsa.org/sites/default/files/2013%20—%20Position%20Statement%20on%20Physical%20Punishment.pdf |website=www.apsa.org |publisher=American Psychoanalytic Association}}</ref> the [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] (AAP),<ref name="pmid6599942">{{cite journal |author=American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on School Health |title=Corporal punishment in schools |journal=Pediatrics |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=258 |date=February 1984 |doi=10.1542/peds.73.2.258 |pmid=6599942 |s2cid=245213800 |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=6599942}}</ref><ref name="pmid9521967">{{cite journal |author1=Stein, M.T. |author2=Perrin, E.L. |title=Guidance for effective discipline. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health |journal=Pediatrics |volume=101 |issue=4 Pt 1 |pages=723–8 |date=April 1998 |pmid=9521967 |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=9521967 |doi=10.1542/peds.101.4.723|s2cid=79545678 }}</ref> the [[Society for Adolescent Medicine]],<ref name=SAM2003>{{cite journal |author1=Greydanus, D.E. |author2=Pratt, H.D. |author3=Spates, Richard C. |author4=Blake-Dreher, A.E. |author5=Greydanus-Gearhart, M.A. |author6=Patel, D.R. |title=Corporal punishment in schools: position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine |journal=J Adolesc Health |volume=32 |issue=5 |pages=385–93 |date=May 2003 |pmid=12729988 |doi=10.1016/S1054-139X(03)00042-9 |url=http://www.adolescenthealth.org/PositionPaper_Corporal_Punishment_in_Schools.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419115418/http://www.adolescenthealth.org/PositionPaper_Corporal_Punishment_in_Schools.pdf |archive-date=19 April 2009 }}</ref><ref name="pmid1498122">{{cite journal|last1=Corporal Punishment|first1=Committee Ad Hoc|last2=Greydanus|first2=Donald E.|last3=Pratt|first3=Helen D.|last4=Greydanus|first4=Samuel E.|last5=Hofmann|first5=Adele D.|author-link5=Adele Hofmann|last6=Tsegaye-Spates|first6=C. Richard|date=May 1992|title=Corporal punishment in schools. A position paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine|journal=J Adolesc Health|volume=13|issue=3|pages=240–6|doi=10.1016/1054-139X(92)90097-U|pmid=1498122|doi-access=free}}</ref> the [[American Psychological Association]],<ref>[http://www.apa.org/about/policy/corporal-punishment.aspx "Corporal Punishment"]. ''Council Policy Manual''. American Psychological Association. 1975.</ref> the [[Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/asset_library/Policy%20and%20Standards/Policy%20Documents/Corporal%20Punishment%20Policy%20Nov09.pdf |title=Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Position Statement on corporal punishment |date=November 2009}}</ref><ref name="pmid12949335">{{cite journal |author=Lynch, M. |title=Community pediatrics: role of physicians and organizations |journal=Pediatrics |volume=112 |issue=3 Part 2 |pages=732–4 |date=September 2003 |pmid=12949335|doi=10.1542/peds.112.s3.732 |s2cid=35761650 }}</ref> the [[Royal College of Psychiatrists]],<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1192/pb.2.4.62 |title=Memorandum on the Use of Corporal Punishment in Schools |year=1978 |journal=Psychiatric Bulletin |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=62–64|doi-access=free }}</ref> the [[Canadian Paediatric Society]]<ref>{{cite journal|pmc=2719514 |title=Effective discipline for children |author1=Psychosocial Paediatrics Committee |author2=Canadian Paediatric Society |journal=Paediatrics & Child Health |year=2004 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=37–41  |pmid=19654979|doi=10.1093/pch/9.1.37 }}</ref> and the [[Australian Psychological Society]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/ad22cc96ba50555dca257051007aa5c8/ca25707400260aa3ca25706f0001d5c8!OpenDocument |title=Legislative assembly questions #0293 - Australian Psychological Society: Punishment and Behaviour Change |access-date=6 August 2008 |date=20 October 1996 |publisher=Parliament of New South Wales |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080503222048/http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/ad22cc96ba50555dca257051007aa5c8/ca25707400260aa3ca25706f0001d5c8!OpenDocument |archive-date = 3 May 2008}}</ref> as well as the United States' [[National Association of School Psychologists]] and [[National Association of Secondary School Principals]].<ref name="NASSPCPPositionStatement">{{cite web |title=Corporal Punishment |url=https://www.nassp.org/policy-advocacy-center/nassp-position-statements/corporal-punishment/ |website=www.nassp.org/ |publisher=National Association of Secondary School Principals|date=13 February 2018 }}</ref><ref name="NASPPositionStatement">{{cite web |title=Position Statement: Corporal Punishment |url=https://www.nasponline.org/x26815.xml |website=www.nasponline.org |publisher=National Association of School Psychologists}}</ref>

==Adult spanking==
[[File:KissMeKateFilm.JPG|thumb|right|187px|alt=Illustration of a grinning man with upraised hand about to spank a woman in a long skirt, who is lying prone and mock-helpless across his lap, smiling coyly; copy reads: 'Famed stage hit now big color musical! Starring: Kathryn Grayson; Howard Keel; Ann Miller|Theatrical release poster for ''[[Kiss Me Kate (film)|Kiss Me Kate]]'', 1953]]<!--See fair use rationale at file information page-->

Most spanking performed between adults in the 21st century within the Western world is [[erotic spanking]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Within the early 20th century, American men spanking their wives and girlfriends was often seen as an acceptable form of discipline. It was a common [[Trope (cinema)|trope]] in American films, from the earliest days up through the 1960s, and was often used to allude to romance between the man and woman.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heisel|first1=Andrew|title='I Don't Know Whether to Kiss You or Spank You': A Half Century of Fear of an Unspanked Woman|url=https://pictorial.jezebel.com/i-dont-know-whether-to-kiss-you-or-spank-you-a-half-ce-1769140132|website=Pictorial|date=12 April 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>

In the early 21st century, adherents of a subculture known as ''[[Christian domestic discipline]]'' have on a [[Biblical literalism|literalist interpretation]] of the Bible justified spanking as a form of acceptable punishment of women by their husbands.<ref name="Snyder-Hall2">{{cite journal|last=Snyder-Hall|first=R. Claire|year=2008|title=The Ideology of Wifely Submission: A Challenge for Feminism?|journal=Politics & Gender|volume=4|issue=04|pages=563–586|doi=10.1017/S1743923X08000482|s2cid=145173940}}</ref> Critics describe such practices as a form of [[domestic abuse]].<ref name="Zadrozny2">{{cite news|last=Zadrozny|first=Brandy|author-link=Brandy Zadrozny|date=19 June 2013|title=Spanking For Jesus: Inside The Unholy World Of 'Christian Domestic Discipline'|website=The Daily Beast|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/19/spanking-for-jesus-inside-the-unholy-world-of-christian-domestic-discipline.html}}</ref>

A few countries have a [[Judicial corporal punishment#Full list of countries|judicial corporal punishment]] for adults.

==Ritual spanking traditions==
<!-- [[Birthday spanking]] redirects here -->
[[File:Pomlázka.jpg|thumb|180px|An [[Easter whip]] (Czech: ''pomlázka''; Slovak: ''korbáč'')]]

=== Asia ===
On the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year holidays, a week-long 'Spring Festival', the most important festival for Chinese people all over the world, thousands of Chinese visit the Taoist ''Dong Lung Gong'' temple in Tungkang to go through the century-old ritual to get rid of bad luck. Men traditionally receive spankings and women get whipped, with the number of strokes to be administered (always lightly) by the temple staff being decided in either case by the god Wang Ye and by burning incense and tossing two pieces of wood, after which all go home happily, believing their luck will improve.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 January 2004 |title=Ring in the new year with a spanking for luck |work=Independent Online |location=Cape Town |url= https://www.corpun.com/twi00401.htm}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
On [[Easter Monday]], there is a [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] tradition of spanking girls and young ladies with [[Easter whip|woven willow switches]] (Czech: ''pomlázka''; Slovak: ''korbáč'') and dousing them with water.<ref>{{Cite book|author1=Ember, Melvin|title=Encyclopedia of sex and gender: men and women in the world's cultures|author2=Ember, Carol R.|publisher=Kluwer Academic/Plenum|year=2004|isbn=0-306-47770-X|location=New York|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=oGasFR3USxYC 382]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Montley, Patricia|title=In Nature's Honor: Myths And Rituals Celebrating The Earth|publisher=Skinner House Books|year=2005|isbn=1-55896-486-X|location=Boston, MA|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=cxzHq4SmCucC 56]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Knab, Sophie Hodorowicz|title=Polish customs, traditions, and folklore|publisher=Hippocrene|year=1993|isbn=0-7818-0068-4|location=New York}}</ref>

In [[Slovenia]], there is a jocular tradition that anyone who succeeds in climbing to the top of [[Mount Triglav]] receives a spanking or birching.<ref>{{cite news |last=Walters |first=Joanna |date=12 November 2000 |title=Reach for the top and a birching |newspaper=The Observer |location= London |url= https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2000/nov/12/climbingholidays.slovenia.observerescapesection}}</ref>

In [[Poland]] there is a tradition named ''[[Pasowanie]]'', which is celebrated on the 18th birthday. The birthday person receives eighteen smacks with the belt from the guests at the birthday party.<ref>[https://kobieta.onet.pl/dziecko/nastolatki/zabawa/dorota-zawadzka-krytykuje-zwyczaj-bicia-pasem-na-osiemnastce/kdpemec Dorota Zawadzka krytykuje zwyczaj bicia pasem na osiemnastce] - Dziecko. (in Polish). 8 june 2021.</ref>

=== North America ===
''Birthday spanking'' is a tradition within some parts of the United States. Within the tradition an individual (commonly, though not exclusively, a child) upon their birthday receives, typically corresponding to their age, a number of spanks. Characteristically these spankings are playful and are administered in such a fashion so the recipient receives no or only minor discomfort.

==See also==
* [[UN Convention on the Rights of the Child]]
* [[Corporal punishment]]
* [[Erotic spanking]]
* [[Caning in Singapore]]
* [[Easter whip]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|spanking}}
{{commons category|Spanking}}
* [https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/communication-discipline/Pages/Disciplining-Your-Child.aspx American Academy of Pediatrics What's The Best Way to Discipline My Child?]
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{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Spanking| ]]
[[Category:Corporal punishments]]
[[Category:Traditions]]
[[Category:Pain infliction methods]]
[[Category:Youth rights]]
[[Category:Children's rights]]
[[Category:Parenting]]
[[Category:Harassment and bullying]]