Smacking children, for or against?

Question

The government forbid the smacking of children as having no place in a modern society. They advise us that diplomacy, strong parental leadership and negotiation should suffice. The government when it has trouble with other nations tries diplomacy, strong leadership and negotiation. If this doesn't work, they send the military in to use force (smacking?) in order that things will get done there way. Am I missing something? Your comments on this will be most interesting, I hope? Regards David

Answer 1

SPARE the rod spoil the child
There is a need for a type of punishment that does not involve someone "battering" their child,
I have NOT found the total answer, but in our home, we work well on LOVE.

Answer 2

As with most simple questions, it's not just a yes or no! I'm for but only in certain circumstances. I was brought up to accept such punishment both by parents and by the school - which also permitted prefects to dish out their brand of 'smacking'! That part of it has changed, thankfully. My own children (4 boys and a girl) were very occasionally given a smack on the backs of the legs or arms. I found getting them to sign a contract took too long, especially at bedtime. So we read books instead.

Answer 3

I don't know about smacking, but in the end, the threat of physical force has to be used. I'm not a parent, but it's obvious that if a child gets the impression that all they have to do is ignore a parent's request, the parent will lose all control.
Physical punishment should obviously be a last resort. First, the child should have privileges taken away from them. Such as being grounded, or sent to their room. If they refuse to do this, then they must ultimately be physically forced to do so. Eventually the child will learn to take the easier punishment, and hopefully force will no longer have to be used.

Answer 4

Hitting your child is the easy way to install fear and stop them doing something.

Being able to reason with your child, display the necessary persona of authority, and command their respect is a lot harder.

The second takes a little more intelligence than the other. The more affluent people in the UK do not have that many children and are the kind of people to install this method of control. The poorer (and generally less intelligent people) tend to offer no guidance (As they are normally giving the respect rather than receiving it - lol) support or solid ground rules for their child to improve themselves.

It makes it even harder when you child mixes with other unruly children who have not had the necessary discipline (hitting not included) during their life, as they can quite easily undo any good habits you have install in your child.

If caning was allowed back into our schools, the improvements in grades, social behaviour, respect for teachers and elders alike would be immense.

I say this for when i was at school, we had no respect for the teachers, rolling spiffs at the back of the class and abusing teachers to the point of tears was nothing special in my school.
I could have doubled that amount of productive learning time I received if the cane was allowed - even with the knowledge that i would have received it at least once

Answer 5

The Government has NOT forbid smacking of children. the law states............in England anyway,I acknowledge it may be different in Scotland. Mild smacking is allowed but...........................
Smacking banned if:
it causes bruises,
scratches
reddening of the skin
mental harm
or if implement used.
I think the majority of us would agree, anything more than this does amount to physical abuse.Smacking a child in a reasonable manner has never done any harm. Lack of discipline is one of the reason why we have problems with todays youngsters.Along with discipline must come lots of love and affection as well.

Answer 6

Whether or not I do it, it is of no business to the government.

The government does not have the moral or legal authority to intrude into my private household and legislate how my family disciplines children.

The concept that government usurps this parental power, and intrudes into such private matters should anger everybody who loves liberty and freedom.
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Oh and I don't need some self-righteous asshat dictating how to discipline my children. It is not the states' business, nor is it the business of the dishonest do-gooders.

If I choose to slap, spank or use a paddle on my child in order to instill discipline, that is my business. If I choose to use my belt on them, that is also my business. The state, and the asshole do-gooders, have no business, no moral or legal right to tell me how to discipline children.

Sober adults know that judicious use of physical discipline is not necessarily a bad thing. As a kid, I was physically punished when I was very bad (not very often at all), and it did no harm. I felt no resentment, and did not consider it abuse in the least. And it isn't abuse.

Do-gooders have been the most harmful people to the Constitution and our rights & liberties. Do-gooders are tyrants who steal your freedom.

Answer 7

You do have a point, but I am against smacking, just my personal oppinion, I live abroad in Malta and regularly witness parents smacking their kids here and I don't mean on the backside, they are forever whacking them across the face and head and I find this distressing and this from an EU country??
And no-one does anything about it.

Answer 8

The punishment should be in proportion to the childs ability to understand the "CRIME" and if it was mischief to excess or deliberate/ plain disobedience. Also the child should not be punished to the extent that it suffers damage physically or mentally.As a four year old I nearly killed my new born brother by feeding him a cup cake and eating the icing myself.I had been told to tell my mother if anything was wrong, I disobeyed was told off and had it explained to me I could have killed him.He does however like cup cakes.

Answer 9

i would say i am for, i am only 19 but my parents smacked me if i did something very bad, and it was the most effective way of letting me know that what i had done was bad, for lesser bads my parents did something that looking back i find ammusingly genious, they sent me to sit on the stairs where i couldnt enjoy myself as much as in my room with my comp and tv and stuff. i do not resent my parents at all and i get on with them perfectly now, it was simply a way of teaching me right and wrong... saying this, they were not anywhere near to beating me or causing me any damge, just a hard smack on the *** got the job done!

Answer 10

This is just another example of government interference. Parents shoud discipline their children as long as they don't make them bleed. Spanking and smacking are acceptable. My mother use to spank and smack me when I was a child. It didn't traumatize me or make me a mental patient. It actually disciplined me. Children need that today.

Answer 11

Well hello there David!
Smacking children and the Government's use of 'smacking' is really very differet now isn't it!
I don't agree with smacking children as you are just showing violence towards a child that looks up to you. There are many ways of punishing a child with the means of physical, emotional and mental pain!