Punishment has some immediate rewards, but they are offset by long term disadvantages.
Punishment:
- Depends on having you or another authority present.
- Teaches children to lie and sneak around behind your back in order to avoid punishment.
- Teaches children what not to do, but not what to do.
- Inhibits rather than promotes the learning process. Children can't learn while dealing with fear and humiliation.
- Can actually encourage undesired behavior if misbehaving is being used to get parental attention.
- May involve physical force (hitting, slapping, spanking) that can escalate into even more violence.
- Leads to children using force to solve disagreements.
- May lead to children seeking revenge.
- Often does not work with foster children, who may have been subjected to much more severe abuse than a foster parent would consider using.