{"id":6097,"date":"2026-03-25T16:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2026\/03\/charles-barkley-says-parents-spanking-children-is-discipline-not-abuse\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:36:19","slug":"charles-barkley-says-parents-spanking-children-is-discipline-not-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2026\/03\/charles-barkley-says-parents-spanking-children-is-discipline-not-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles Barkley Says Parents Spanking Children Is Discipline, Not Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Former NBA star Charles Barkley is once again stirring debate, this time over parenting.<\/p>\n

During a recent appearance on\u00a0The Dan Patrick Show<\/em>, Barkley defended spanking as a form of discipline. He argued that some modern parenting approaches lack firmness and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in discipline. I\u2019m not going around telling people to beat their kids,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cBut I think if you don\u2019t spank your kids and discipline them, they turn into some of these brats that we got today.\u201d<\/p>\n

His comments quickly drew attention across social media and parenting circles. The Hall of Famer made clear he expected backlash but remained unapologetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can blast me on social media,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cI don\u2019t ever read any comments. I don\u2019t care what y\u2019all think.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Familiar Voice, A Controversial Take<\/h3>\n

Barkley, known for his outspoken style during his playing and broadcasting career, linked discipline at home to behavior in sports. He suggested that younger athletes struggle with coaching because they were not held accountable as children.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t even yell at them anymore,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cYes, hell you can yell at your kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that spanking, when used appropriately, helps children understand consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not here for child abuse,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cBut how are kids gonna know they\u2019re doing something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

The remarks echo similar positions Barkley has expressed in past years. He has long argued that strict parenting helped shape his own development.<\/p>\n

Experts Push Back on Corporal Punishment<\/h3>\n

While Barkley framed spanking as discipline, medical experts strongly disagree.<\/p>\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against corporal punishment. The group says research links spanking to negative outcomes, including increased aggression and mental health issues.<\/p>\n

Dr. Robert D. Sege, a pediatrician involved in the group\u2019s policy, emphasized alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of discipline is to teach children good behavior,\u201d Sege said. \u201cEffective discipline does so without the use of corporal punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization recommends strategies such as positive reinforcement and consistent, non-physical consequences.<\/p>\n

Despite the criticism, Barkley made clear he stands by his views. \u201cI\u2019m gonna say what I gotta say,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of y\u2019all gonna like it. Some of y\u2019all are not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former NBA star Charles Barkley is once again stirring debate, this time over parenting. During a recent appearance on\u00a0The Dan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14044,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[10,9],"class_list":["post-6097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-rss","tag-culture","tag-hip-hop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14044"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6097\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}