Gryphon Gazette

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

Gryphon Gazette

The student news site of Animo Pat Brown Charter High School

Gryphon Gazette

The Infamous Chancla

By: Karen Plascencia

Esteban walks angrily away from his mother, but before he could turn the corner into the hallway, an orange sandal flies past his head and thuds against the wall. He runs to his room and he hears his mother’s feet scramble towards him and he howls as he feels a pain in the back of his head.

“Ama!” He calls out.

“Es por tu propio bien,” his mom yells back angrily.

When it comes to disciplining children many have different ideas of what that means. To some giving a child a time out is enough, to others only a good whooping could do the job.

The concept of hitting a child has been humorized with the creation of memes and other jokes. These jokes usually consist of a child running or ducking away from their parents as they are hit with the chancla or any other household item.

To some parents hitting their children is no big deal, it is in some ways a tradition. Their parents hit them as children, so it would only seem reasonable for them to discipline their children in the same manner. To them hitting a child is only meant to teach them a lesson, not to inflict long lasting pain.

Although, what effect does hitting a child have in the future?

Hitting a child only creates a cycle of violence. This cycle of violence will continue as the child grows old and begins to hit their children as punishment, because that is what they endured when they were younger.

It also confuses children and teaches them that violence is acceptable. It causes fear within the child, damaging the relationship and diminishing communication in the family.

According to Mary L. Pulido, Executive Director of The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, “Nothing is learned and so much is lost… To be effective, discipline needs to be consistent, perceived as ‘fair’ by the child, age-appropriate, and should teach the child how to act in the future.”

In conclusion, hitting a child accomplishes nothing. There are many other routes a parent can take to discipline a child that does not include violence.

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