Smacking your kids?

Question

Do you smack your kids? I do and I think it keeps them in line.
They know if they misbehave they will be in a world of pain..

I also think it should be OK for the nursery staff and teachers to do the same.

I know people who do not hit there children and their kids are a nightmare to control.

I think the goverment should keep there noses out of my affairs.

Answer 1

I'm with you on this one! A good slap when kids misbehave is far more effective than sitting them down and explaining what they did is wrong over and over again. It's a quick way to learn a lesson and most kids until 20 or so years ago were discilplined in this way with no trauma or psychological damage. Another example of the pc brigade causing more harm than good.
In any case, the 'threat' of a slap was usually enought to keep me in line when I was a kid.

Answer 2

I was smacked with an open hand on either my butt or my hand. It was done sparingly and was never sore or left a mark. However, it had the desired effect. I now slap my own children in the same fashion and on the rare occasion that it is needed. My children know perfectly well it is not acceptable to slap anyone else and that it is not acceptable for anyone but mammy daddy granny and grandads to slap. When I went to school (80's Ireland) teachers could slap but I only remember 1 teacher doing so. In general the note home about the bad behaviour and the requirement that it be returned the next day signed by a parent was enough. The discipline was given at home. The teacher who resorted to slapping was not a good teacher. He slapped a child that had a stutter and told him to spit it out. I was 12 at the time and will never forget how I felt. Even I knew the kid couldn't help having a stutter and slapping him wouldn't make it any better.

Answer 3

There's smacking and there's abuse -- they are not the same thing.

I look at so many young people today and think "what the hell happened?!" Clearly they never had the fearful threat of a spank looming over their heads when they did rotten things at an early age. Society has spared the rod for long enough that now it has useless 13 year olds who seem to think that they are the authority in the house and on the streets. And this is how their parents have allowed them to develop-- all because they find disciplining their children distasteful and would much rather be their 'mate' instead.

The whole point of smacking is that it's the ultimate dominant gesture -- the number one authority (parent) may issue this to their subordinates (kids) without any fightback. Children must be brought up knowing that they are subordinate to adults, full stop.

'Punishing' them by 'talking to them' at four years of age just sends the message that the 4 year old toddler is somehow equal to the 39 year old dad. 'Punishing' them by sending them to their room which is stuffed with toys, games, stereos, tvs and x-boxes is laughable too. Slack parents don't seem to realise how ambiguous their authority over their child really is. It doesn't take a particularly strong or clever child to successfully refute that authority around the age of 10-- it's just the result of a decade of dumb parenting.

Answer 4

I agree with you to a certain extent, but for me personally when I have smacked my 7 year old boy it doesn't make a bit of difference, and he just makes me feel guilty afterwards, but if it works for you then go for it. I can also understand why the government put a ban on smacking because kids were being abused because parents may have different ideas on what smacking actually is. It was supposed to stop all this child abuse, but at the end of the day it's not made any difference to the amount of child abuse that goes on, and your right it has made kids more unruly and ignorant, most don't even bother about the police, when I was a kid if i thought the police would be coming for me, i'd of **** myself, it means nothing to the kids of today. It is very worrying.

Answer 5

certainly violence is the best solution in most cases. A good hiding will stop them from respecting you. Oh, they'll show respect but if all you want is a shallow facade then on you go.
If you treat your kids with respect then it's just possible they will treat others with respect.
As a teacher I can spot the kids who are treated violently. They don't listen, and feel they can act anyway they like until I threaten to tell Dad. A lot of wasted time there then.
With other kids I can build mutual trust and respect as a grounding for learning. Those scarred few can disrupt the whole school.

If the government should keep out of your affairs does that mean you can beat your kids unconscious? kill them? just cut them up a bit maybe?
The government reflect the views of the majority in a working democracy.

Answer 6

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I have two teenagers, girl & boy, 17 & 13 respectivly. They had the necessary discipline when they were younger, smacks on the hand as toddlers and backside or legs when they were older and the older they got, the less we had to smack them.

Now they are great kids, excellent at school, well behaved and never an embaressment to take out, we are very proud of them.

I wonder if these people who initially think up these laws have any kids? They are not looking ahead and realising what the consequences will be. A lot ot teenagers nowadays have no respect for their elders and are very rude to others. Respect needs to be taught from an early age and with no discipline 'allowed' they are never going to learn any respect for others or theirselves.

Answer 7

I'm in total agreement with you, my kids go to school in Spain where I sign a consent form that allows the teachers to punish the child in whatever way they think is necessary, at home if they need a good short slap they will also get one. I think the government should keep there noses out of our affairs where it don't belong and try putting some criminals away and making the place a better place to live in! They want too much say in our private and personal lives why don't they just but out and leave us to bring up our kids as we were brought up.

Answer 8

NO NEVER there is no need to smack or lift your hand for any reason, talk to your children, if they are small give them time out, sit them on a sofa when they are naughty, don't give them any TV, toys etc soon they will learn.
There is also a good program called 1-2-3- magic for kids with behaviour problems, family, nursery, schools can all get involved with this.
You are smacking because it makes you feel good, please stop now, smacking can get out of hand.
I remember being smacked when little, i have never lifted a finger to my daughter and she is now 20 and hopes one day to treat her own children the same way.

Answer 9

I think that parents should be allowed to smack their children - but only to a certain level - so they are not bruised or injured. I have watched some programmes like super nanny and I see that children can abuse parents - if they hit you - you should hit them. However, I think that teachers should not smack, they are there to teach the children, make then want to come to school - not be scared of it - some children get hit by bullies - they don't need it from teachers as well. People have fought alot to stop smacking in school. My auntie forgot her ruler in school - the teacher decided to smack her ear - she is now deaf in that ear.
To conclude, parents should be allowed to smack their children, but only to a certain extent. Teachers shouldn't be allowed at all.

Answer 10

No you shouldn't smack your children. I think smacking is just revenge for making you angry. I have 3 kids and never smack them, they also mostly do as they are told.
All you need to do is punish them in other ways when they misbehave like grounding them or limiting their use of TV / PC
,take away their favourite toys for a while.There's lots of alternatives to smacking , you should try.When the kids are all grown up what do you think they will think of you for beating them as a kid?