European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 11, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To spank or not to spank by Lawrence m. Kutner new York times it was a swat heard around the world. Prince William second in line to the British throne took part in his school s sports Day recently. The boy and his parents Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales joined other families in various races and tugs of War at the Wetherly school s sports Field in Richmond Surrey a. 1 a a 1. At the end of the event William a who has just turned eight a wanted to keep playing with his schoolmates. The Princess of Wales told him to stay with her. He tried to run off. In front of his friends and the clicking cameras of the British press she briefly hit him on his backside. She then tried to Comfort him after the spanking. The incident has revived debate Over How parents should respond when their children misbehave and whether there is a difference Between Corporal punishment and a rare swat from a Loving Parent. Asked for comment a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said Quot we Don t release anything on How members of the Royal family raise their  psychologists and child development experts around the world take a uniform stand on the inappropriateness of routine or severe spanking and other forms of Corporal punishment like  emphasize that such punishments Are not Only cruel but ineffective and May Lead to Long term severe emotional  their opinions Are split when it comes to incidents like the one Between Prince William and his Mother who worked As a kindergarten teacher in London before marrying Prince Charles. Are such occasional swats effective or Are they simply a Way for parents to release their own feelings of anger and frustration do they cause any Long term emotional damage the Way regular or severe Corporal punishment does should she have done something else Quot she sounds pretty human Quot said or. T. Berry Brazelton an emeritus professor of paediatrics at Harvard medical school arid the author of numerous books on child development. Quot what Princess i did and what i probably would have done too is to react in a Way that lets the boy know that you really mean it Quot he said. Quot All of my kids will Tell you that i be swatted them on the Bottom when i be been upset with  he added that he sees this As different from unacceptable physical punishments like planned or protracted spankings. Or. Lee Salk who has also written several books of child development and child rearing said that he is Quot unalterably opposed to Ariy spanking of children Quot Quot it tells them that its of for one person to use physical Force to make another person do what they Don t want to do Quot added Salk a professor of psychology at the new York Hospital Cornell medical Center Salk said that he is asked this question All the time by. Parents who Are angry about something their child has been doing and cannot think of any other Way to get their Point across. He asks those parents if they have Ever been frustrated by their Boss at work and if they have Ever considered spanking their Boss As a Way to handle the problem. Quot if you can t do it to your Boss Why should you be a Able to do it to your children Quot Salk said. One common situation in which even the most fervent anti spanking parents find themselves acting against their beliefs is when a Young child does something that quickly overwhelms the parents with fear like darting toward a Busy Street or playing with an electrical outlet. A when there s a situation that clearly is charged with danger you need something that will make a sudden and lasting impression Quot said or. John e. Schowalter the chief of child psychiatry at the Yale child study Center and the president of the american Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry. Quot then a swat on the behind will show your level of concern and can be justified a especially if you have almost never done it in the past Quot he said. Quot that s different from hitting the child several times or hitting the child in the  Schowalter and others said that in such families a Brief spanking May be effective simply because it is so rare. The children realize that they must have done something terribly wrong because their parents response is so out of character. But do rare spankings Lead to any Long term problems Quot our research on Corporal punishment shows that an occasional swat say two or three times during childhood does no to have the same bad effects As hitting a child regularly Quot said or. Irwin a Hyman the director of the National Center for the study of Corporal punishment and alternatives in the schools and a professor of school psychology at Temple University in it Philadelphia. Quot the worst Type of spanking is when its done publicly or in anger Quot Hyman said. Quot it brings about feelings of anger and revenge rather than  psychologists agree that severe spanking and other forma not Only cruet but ineffective and May Tead to Long term pint size destroyers need play guidance by Marianne and Stephen w. Garber and Robyn Freedman Spizman Cox news service Reader s letter our 2-year-old will sometimes try to tear up his toys. What causes this and How can we control destructive behaviour a , dear . To a 2-year-old, destructive behaviour is sometimes in the Eye of the onlooker. A Young child May accidentally break a toy while trying to play with it. As an adult remember How frustrating assembling one of your child a toys can be. That s probably As close As you can come to feeling the Way your toddler does when his or her playful intentions Are thwarted. The earliest childhood problems typically occur As the child explores his environment. Wanting to know what happens when he pulls on the toy a youngster yanks a Little too hard. Quot will Mommy come when i drop my spoon Quot Quot do these legs on the doll Bend Quot children learn through play. Your Best defense is a. Strong offence. By teaching your child How to play with each new toy posing questions and making suggestions you guide learning. Supervision is the key to fewer broken toys. From the beginning teach your child to assume responsibility for playthings. At first it s a game a Quot this is the Way we pick up our toys Quot later it becomes a habit Here Are Home other suggestions a supervise play. A give Clear signals when a behaviour is appropriate or inappropriate. A limit the number of toys. An impulsive child May be overstimulated by too Many choices. Recycle toys weekly putting a few out of sight. When you bring Back old favourites your child will Welcome them. A look for Safe toys. Be wary of Small pieces stuffing Loose wires and Sharp edges. Is the object recommended for children under age 3? even if it is judge the safety for yourself. Recalls Only occur after children have been Hurt. A avoid selecting toys that Are too difficult for the child. Despite what the manufacturer suggests there is nothing More frustrating to a child than a toy that can t be worked. If a toy continually frustrates your child put it away for a while. A set playing rules if the Rule is play with one toy at a time be there to Praise its Observance and Correct other situations. A teach your child to express emotions. If your child is frustrated teach him to use words to get help or to build tolerance. A provide an angry place. When your Little one becomes very angry and throws a toy firmly state Quot no  then sit the child in a chair for the number of minutes of his age say two minutes for a 2-year old. A Reward appropriate play. When your child plays Well say so. Marianne and Stephen w Garber and Robyn Freedman spi2man Anta a Civ a behaviour Oahu in for the Adana journal con suttion. The column s Dis muted by Cox news service. Page 14 a a a the stars and stripes wednesday i