Study shows that one third of American kids are out of control

According to a recent study, about one third of parents polled don’t believe their method of disciplining their children is working. The most commonly used method of disciple was putting the child in timeout (45%) and the least common was spanking (8%). And they wonder why their children are out of control? As the Bible says, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

Reuters reports:

About one in three parents in the United States and Canada do not think their methods of disciplining their children work well, according to a U.S. study.

Dr. Shari Barkin, chief of general pediatrics at Tennessee's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt found 31 percent of about 5,000 parents surveyed said they "never" or "sometimes" perceived their methods to be effective.

Many of those reported turning into their own parents when it came to discipline, with 38 percent using the same methods their own parents used on them as children.
"It was surprising to see how many parents feel that disciplining their children is ineffective," Barkin said in a telephone interview.

"Many are using the same techniques their parents used on them but don't think they really work."

The study, based on a survey of parents through community based doctors in 32 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada, found the most common form of discipline was using time-outs, with 45 percent of parents using this method.

It found 41.5 percent of parents removed privileges, while 13 percent reported yelling at their children, and 8.5 percent reported the use of spanking "often or always."

"But we strongly suspect that both yelling and spanking might be underreported," said Barkin, whose study is published in the January issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics.

"We know when parents perceive their methods are not working. As a third reported, then emotions can quickly escalate."

She said by the time children reached the six to 11-year-old age range, parents were about 25 percent less likely to report using time-outs and spanking as they were with younger children.

When children reached school age, parents reported a heavier use of taking away privileges and yelling.

But even in the older age range, perception that the discipline might not be working persisted.

"Disciplining is something we do daily as parents but if this many parents think it is ineffective, it highlights the need to discuss other way to teach children how to resolve conflicts," she said.

Truth be told, more than 1/3 of all children are out of control. I would that at second 1/3 of parents are ineffective at disciplining their children, but won’t admit it.

I have always said that from birth until the age of three, either parents are training their children or the children are raising their parents. Either way at age three, someone has been trained. Unfortunately in today’s world, it’s usually the parents.