Yelling at kids may be as damaging as spanking them

“If you yell at your child, you either create somebody who yells back at you or somebody who is shamed and retreats. You’re either growing aggression or growing shame. Those are not characteristics that any parents want in their kids.” What exactly is a parent to do? A Washington Post story digs into a University of Pittsburgh study released in September that examined 967 middle school students over a two-year period.

Those whose parents used “harsh verbal discipline” such as yelling, cursing and using insults were more likely to be depressed or have behavior problems. The study found it was also not effective in getting children to stop what they were doing, and that it was damaging even to children in homes that were generally warm and loving.