Many Haitian parents will not believe that it is possible to raise children without spanking or other corporal punishments.  These parents know of no other way to discipline their children.  In Haiti, even when wrong, spanking is permitted. In some circle, spanking your kid is a sign of love.  A sign that you are ready to do everything necessary to make sure they are raised right. In the

US and many other countries, spanking and corporal punishments are not acceptable practice.  Parents can get punished for recurring to these abusive methods. 

We would like parents to understand that when they are raising their kids in a community that do not support spanking, that is more reason not to do it.  I was probably 5 years old when I started elementary school or 1^st grade.  In this age group, kids love to talk.  Every day after recess, the class would be in detention to transition to a quieter classroom.  If you talked during detention, you got your own private spanking.  One day, I got spanked and went home and complained to my parents. They asked me: “why was I talking”.  Since then, I knew that complaining about spanking from my teacher would not help. 

In Haiti, the community stands behind parents and the parents support the community (at least it used to).  When you live in a community where it is not acceptable to spank, spanking is no longer a mean to discipline.  Instead, you are creating conflict.  Your child very early on has learned to report any form of abuse.  Corporal punishments are not used to convey love.  Instead, they are considered abusive. Your child has learned that you could be an abuser.

It is very painful to see that children in Haiti are not protected by the law.  Being aggressive and even violent with your children will not accomplish much.  It will only set a bad example.  Children will learn early on that violence and aggressive behaviors are the best ways to handle their frustration. Again, in the US and Canada, there are many more stimulants that will intensify violent and aggressive behaviors.  Where corporal punishments might work for children in Haiti, it could turn your child in the US into a dangerous citizen. 

Disciplining children without spanking is often very difficult for parents who grew up in Haiti.  However, we need to make the decision and be determined to find other ways to discipline your children.  We certainly have a long way to go but we need to start by accepting the fact that spanking and any other form of corporal punishments are not right.