Band 9 IELTS Essay Sample | Smacking Children Is The Best Form Of Discipline

Here is a band 9 IELTS essay sample on a topic that appeared in a recent IELTS exam.

Smacking children is the best form of discipline. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Band 9 IELTS Essay Sample

Children often misbehave and when they do that many parents smack them to teach them a ‘lesson’. In my opinion, this behaviour is completely unacceptable. Smacking traumatises children and may even lead to more behavioural problems.

There are many reasons why parents feel that smacking is the best form of discipline. To begin with, many of them are under the wrong impression that children will get the point if they are smacked for bad behaviour. This, according to some parents, will discourage them from repeating the bad behaviour. Some parents also want to have absolute control over their children and often resort to this barbaric practice to show them who is in charge of the household.

Unfortunately, smacking does not help with the behavioural issues in children. In fact, it makes their problems worse. Studies have shown that children who grow up in households where they are regularly subjected to smacking and other forms of physical violence are more likely to grow into rebellious teenagers. They start to detest their elders and may also develop a hatred for authority. Of course, when parents spank their children, this is not the end result they are hoping to achieve.

Having said that, it is important to discipline children. Behavioural problems need to be dealt with but instead of resorting to physical violence parents should set an example for their children. Children learn a lot by watching and imitating adults. If parents behave appropriately at all times, children will consciously or unconsciously copy their behaviour and that will solve the issue.

To conclude, children are our future and we must raise them with love, patience and tolerance. Good parenting and physical violence cannot co-exist. Therefore, in my opinion, smacking children must be forbidden and parents who still resort to this practice must be severely punished by the law.