"I have never accepted the principle of `spare the rod and spoil the child,' " President Gordon B. Hinckley said in October 1994 general conference. "I am persuaded that violent fathers produce violent sons. Children don't need beating. They need love and encourage-ment."
President Hinckley's statement has been borne out by research. Craig H. Hart, BYU associate professor of family sciences and a prominent researcher in the field of child development, said:"Power-assertive parenting - meaning parents who use a lot of physical or verbal force to get their way with children - tends to promote more aggressive and antisocial types of behavior in children."
Further, he said, long-term studies have indicated that "children who have difficulties in their peer relationships early on are at risk for a lot of social, emotional and other types of difficulties later on in life."
He and co-researchers have found that while power-brokering parents inhibit their children's social growth, parents who operate with more inductive skills - more reason-oriented methods - promote positive social behavior.
For example, when relationship problems arise among their friends, the children of power-assertive parents tend to say What's in it for me?' In the same situations, children of inductive parents tend to say,What is this going to do to the relationship?'
"In our studies, children of inductive parents have come up with many more friendly and adaptable solutions to problems than children of power-assertive parents," explained Brother Hart.
He said that the research is not a guaranteed predictor, but that it increases the statistical probability.
In the October 1994 general conference, President Hinckley described the kind of homes that foster secure and loving children:
"To rear children in an atmosphere of love, security, and faith is the most rewarding of all challenges. The good result from such efforts becomes life's most satisfying compensation.
"My plea - and I wish I could be more eloquent in voicing it - is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight. They need happiness. They need love and nurture. They need kindness and refreshment and affection. Every home, regardless of the cost of the house, can provide an environment of love which will be an environment of salvation."
In the April 1995 general conference, President Hinckley expressed his "tremendous respect for fathers and mothers who are nurturing their children in light and truth, who spare the rod and govern with love, who look upon their little ones as their most valued assets to be protected and trained and blessed."
