Give some reasons why parents physically abuse and/or spank their children.

Although most parents who abuse their children later express bewilderment and regret their behavior, one reason for child abuse is that the line between permissible and impermissible punishment is vague. In the United States, spanking is seen as often necessary and desirable, and half of mothers with children younger than four admit they have spanked their child. In some cultures outside the United States, spanking is even more common. The American Academic of Pediatrics recommends that physical punishment not be used at all. The privacy of childrearing in the United States (being raised in individual households) also contributes to the propensity to use physical abuse, which is less prevalent in societies where several adults, or the society as a whole, are responsible for how children are raised. Also, sometimes adults have unrealistic expectations for their children’s behavior.