Is smacking acceptable to discipline your own children?

Question

Surely this is down to the parents. I was smacked as a child (when naughty/out of line, but it was always on the bottom, and that's all I'm refering to here). I dare say, if more parents used smacking, there would be less chavs around who 'happy-slap' / taunt their elders in public.

In all honesty I think more and more parents are just lazy and can't be bothered to even watch their children. Time after time on holiday I see children running around bars and restaurants and the parents just don't care at all.

What does everyone else think?

Answer 1

This is the 3rd question on this topic I have seen today!

Give us a break or you'll get your **** smacked.

Answer 2

What a light smack to start with, then as they get older it gets a bit harder and then when they are adults the cycle begins again, they start hitting/smacking their kids. Or worse still, when they are taller than the parent they start hitting the parent, because thats what they were taught as young children. Where does it stop. If an adult can only get a child to do something by inflicting pain/smacking/light smacking (whatever you want to call it) then its the adult who is out of control,not the child. A couple of weeks ago i witnessed a 6ft man screaming at a 2 year old child. He was leaning over the childs stroller threatening to smack this child if he didn't stop crying. It horrified me, this was a baby!!! His father did not stop to try and find out why the child was crying. People say oh its ok if it is a light smack, no violence is ok. I have never smacked my kids, neither has my husband and we have good kids. I do discipline them, but usually i take something away that they really like, for a limited period of time. I suppose it would be much easier to give them a couple of slaps. I just could not live with myself if i hurt or intimated a child by using violence no matter how mild it is.

Answer 3

I think parents often smack their children because they are angry or irrigated by them. If a parents taps a child's hand when they are below the age of understanding it might deter them from touching something hot or hitting an other child etc but generally if a child is of an age to understand the concept of inappropriate behaviour, it is better to tell them off and give the reasons as to why, rather than just smacking them. Although most parents would never harm their child intentionally they don't always know their own strength and can mark children quite badly. Other parents can be out and out bullies and use children as receptacle to take their own anger out on. What is an acceptable level off smacking to one parent could be different to another.
Some children will be out of control regardless of being smacked and are often beaten regulary anyway. Sadly these parents should never have had children in the first place

Answer 4

I've never thought it was wrong to spank your child when they deserve it, although, in today's society, it's a fine line for some people. Many will tell you that it's abuse and that there are other ways to discipline your child. Check out whether or not they have kids themselves.

As for the lazy parent, I think it's more a problem of being just too tired after a long day, which is still no excuse. Perhaps it's a matter of whether or not they grew up with any form of discipline themselves.

Answer 5

i can already see that i am outnumbered 10000000000000000000000000000000 to 1 here but i dont believe in smacking children. I dont think that if you were at work and said something rude about your boss that he should have the right to slap you so i dont see why children should be brought up with the knowledge that if they want something they should smack to get it...which is what smacking shows in my opinion...i have 2 children and have never smacked either of them...they are really good kids,sure they push their luck here and theyre but i have other ways of sorting things out with them...they are neither druggies or joyriders and i could never be scared of either of them. I think that it bears thinking about that if the general population is in favour of smacking and therefore one presumes that most people Do smack their kids and we have a society of disrespectful,violent,rude kids that maybe we shouldnt be smacking them as this teaches them that if they cannot get what they want or what they want to say across that they are perfectly entitled to use violence to get it. Also it tells them that they are worth no time or effort...merely a slap.I could actually go on all day about this but i wont...i do agree however that many parents cant be bothered withn their children...i used to work with children in a community centre doing art therapy with them and i know from experience that children respond much more to time and effort put in by a person they trust than shouting and hitting and disrespect...if we disrespect our kids by hitting them how are they ever going to have respect for themselves??? And how would you all like it?????

Answer 6

I think that thinks got out of hand 20 years ago when smaking in schools and the cane got abolished I pitty the teachers of today I would be sacked the first day , when I was a kid we would never dream of what youths get up to today and even younger kids , i cant even watch the programme driving mum and dad mad cos i get wound up, there is no disiplin today , and the bloody kids know it i cant believe that bad kids get rewarded by holidays etc It certainly never hurt our generation smack and clip round earole, today you are to bloody scared of confronting these yobs , this problem is gonna get worse before it gets better , disipline is needed in society and we all know the differece from smack and beating , so come on lets get yobs sorted and bring back punishment in schools the fear of the cane or ruler on hand was deteraant enough I sertainly blaim the do gooders who say smacking should be banned bet they got no kids or all grown up .

Answer 7

I don't think they need to be smacked i never was and have turned out to be an honest hardworking polite guy who treats women with respect I have a daughter of 8 who I try not to smack but a small smack on the but doesn't hurt but there are limits to this a child can be disciplined without physical force

Answer 8

i have smacked my kids, on the bottom, hand or leg
i think it is important that the child knows WHY he has been smacked, it should be followed by an explanation
and, i believe a smack should be an immediate action, it's no good giving a kid a smack, and then saying..."that was for being naughty yesterday"
we have to be careful though, of not "injuring" the child
i'm almost 15st, and i'm sure a reall hard smack, with all my "strength" could easily break a bone...that is NOT on
and as for using utensils, no, slap with the hand is better

Answer 9

im totally with you, i think society is a joke i am a young mum and there is so much conflicting information rammed down your neck, interfering by health visitors and so on who havent a clue how to raise children as they dont have any, and at the end of the day sitting back and shutting up may provide the easier option in the short term in the end you only make it worse by raising rude and unruly teenagers whom you now have no hope of controlling, getting the odd clip round the earholenever done me any lasting damage, so yes i think if nessesary u should smack ur children because if you dont you only grow old to the sound of I BLAME THE PARENTS by the old biddies up the town centre.

Answer 10

Well,there has always been differing degrees of discipline throughout time,getting a slap when i was younger MEANT getting a slap-more often it was a belt though.I wouldn't dare smack my 13&14y/olds nowadays,no matter what they have done to warrant it,i'me more likely to get a slap back-and..because children know their rights now,you are more than likely to be up in front of a judge!!My punishment is effective when it has to be meted out,i just hit them where it hurts the most,in their pockets-that tends to do the trick,they know not to mess me about or bring trouble to the door:-)

Answer 11

I take it you have no children of your own just by the wording of your question? But you are correct a lot of parents are simply not bothered but then again a lot are ,I have two and they are disciplined accordingly. I do agree that light smacking is acceptable as a deterrent for unruly behaviour but there must be a line drawn.