Why do parents shout at and smack their young children in public?

Question

Or anywhere for that matter. When they're only 1 or 2 years of age!! It sickens me to see it, you report it and you're told to mind your own business!!

Answer 1

u have a sad life... y do u care? mind ur own business! it has nothing to do with u, if i was u i wud keep ur gob shut and opinions to yourself before you get a slap.

Answer 2

I have two girls, and on the whole they are fabulous. However, they do seem to have days when we are out they will just play up. Now, I am a very laid back person, who finds shouting extremely draining, and smacking I just can't bear.
But, when I have asked please do not do that, or can you come here, whatever it maybe again and again and they are looking at me like I am talking a different language, then yes I will raise my voice and sometimes I do shout.
Now, 1 year olds, no you can't shout and smack because they are babies, when they get well into their two's it is a whole different world, they are very independant and are trying to find their own way and some parents are such control freaks they lose it completely. I think we should all keep an eye on little ones being smacked in public. If they are going to do it in front of people, what do they do in their own homes. I saw a mother slap her daughter, maybe only 2 right accross the face because she was having a tantrum, and everyone looked disgusted.
It goes on all the time and people need to realise how little these kids are, and big hands hurt little bums and legs.

Answer 3

Because they don't listen, they cry until they get their way, so parents are trying to teach them a lesson. I am sure most parents don't smack hard, but sometimes kids need some shouting, because if they think they can get away with it in public than they do it again and again so some parents think oh no you don't!!! enough !!! they don't care who sees or what people say, they are their kids and they want them to behave at home and in public regardless of how much the kid screms, or jump up and down. I say some kids deserve it they are little spoilt brats and they deserve a good smack on the bottom occasionally.
If the kid is screaming in public, embarassing the parent until the child gets what he/she wants is it better for the parent to give in and give the child what he/she wants and smile at the rest of the public. or is it better to shout No to the child even give the child a little bum smack and this way the child will know this is what is going to happen next time he/she starts throwing tantrums in public.
Parents should teach the kids discipline from a very young age this is how they will become better adults
My mother when i was growing up used to give me a smack occasionally when i was naughty but my brother she never smacked him not even once. My brother now is 30 and he raises his voice just like he did when he was little and my mum gives in, he is 30 and still acts like a 5 year old when he wants something a pest until he gets his way.
I am sorry for boring you all but i had to let it out. thank you

Answer 4

When my son was two, he started picking up bad habits really quick from others. One of his bad habbits was to test me when we were in public. Have you ever had a toddler scream at the top of their lungs, "You're an ***hole, momma!", because you refused to buy them the junk food they wanted? My son would do that. Heck yeah I popped him on the mouth. It wasn't a hard pop, just one that got his attention, and showed him I would not tolerate that. I also smack the bottom when I think they need it. I don't believe in beating a child, but a spanken is good. I grew up with my mother using a belt, or a shoe, or whatever was close. I do NOT do that with my children. And I usually try everyting else first before spanking, but in public, there is little you can do now days. Anyhow, that doesn't keep my heart from breaking when I see it myself. But I do understand it more now that I am a parent. Hope this sheds some light. Good luck.

Answer 5

Because not all children know how to behave in public!

If they are only 1 or 2, they have a diaper on, it wont hurt. Smacking a child in the butt doesn't hurt too much anyway, it is not even close to abuse so there is no point in reporting it.
Children do need to be punished occasionally, and all parents have a different method of doing so. I personally think that a little spanking now and then is in order, public or not. The first time you let your kid act up in public and do not punish him like you nomally would at home, well, he's gonna do it again. They are fast fast learners and they know! Oh, I'm in public mommy wont punish me.

If they are smacking a child in the face however, this should be reported. There is no reason to hit a child that young in the face. A teenager talking back however...lol. If there are other signs of abuse, report it, but you cannot decide how other people handle thier children. If so, I would put a stop to all those people that think they should let thier children do whatever they want, the kid needs to make their own choices, blah blah blah, and spend 45 minutes asking the 2 year old if they want milk or chocolate milk! Hello, he's two- make a choice. He doesn't care!

I think kids today get it pretty good even with a few spankings! In case you did not know, toddlers are very clever. They know what you are telling them, and they know what you want. Yet they want to see what they can get away with. Sometimes it takes a little more than just asking them to behave!

Answer 6

I don't agree with smacking in public but I do shout at my children if my child is about to run in the road I am going to shout at him not matter who is looking at me I would rather do a bit of shouting than have a dead child!

You need to know everything before you make a jugdement. Parents are not diciplining their children enough and they will end up with a horror later on. If your child is playing up or not doing as they are told then there must be consequences and if a child doesn't learn about consequences from a young age they go around doing whatever they like when they are older!

Wait until you have children yourself before judging others. I always thought I would never tell my child no. When he was 6 months old and rolling around that all changed. Children have to know where they stand. and if a shout or a small smack does that for that child then so be it

Answer 7

are you a parent? I don't think you are, are you. When you do have children you will have such a different view.

Last week I had my son in a garden centre some young assistant, without children, had put a ride on fire engine in a 2 year olds reach, when we had to go away because there were lots of fragile things around he had the biggest tantrum I have ever seen, kicking, biting (hard) lots of screaming at the top of his voice. I was calm and collected at first and still others look at you as though you are murdering them. He would not stop so he got a smacked bum as he has to learn that hitting others doesn't feel very nice for them. he stopped kicking and biting me after that, didn't stop screaming mind so it was bed as soon as we got home.
He doesn't tantrum in public very often and I feel its because I make sure he knows I will not shy away from telling him off.

Answer 8

Often times, I would say it's because the parents are young, tired, exhausted and have yet to cope with the stress and the responsibilities of raising children. A lot of people have the impression that taking care of small children is easy because the child is small and the parent is big, end of discussion. But it's not always that simple... chances are there's a lot of issues going on at home that you may not see, but it still has its effects on how they react to a child. As for the smacking, it may depend on why they smacked the child... i think the only time i spanked my children that young in public was when my oldest was 1 1/2 or 2 years old and ran out into a parking lot with cars coming. I snatched him up and spanked him hard... that was the last time he ran into the road.

Answer 9

I really feel that we should feel sorry for these parents. They muxt be totally at the end of there teather. Remember you only see the small picture, the bigger picture is that the parent has the child 24/7 365 days of the year and that can wear anyone down.

They will already be stress and us telling them they are bad parents will not help the situaltion. Recently I saw a parent loss her cool her child rolling around the store and I empersised with her. She had walked of and threatened to leave the child I offer to fetch them. I felt as soon as I spoke they would run to mum and did,. It worked well. Try to support the parent if not the action.

The 21st centary is hard for us parents

Answer 10

Because children need discipline!

If a child throws a tantrum at home, get a smacked bum and told not to do it again, but then does it in a supermarket and the parent ignores it because of fear of do-gooders who think it any of your business the child then gets a mixed message - be bad at home, get a smack, be bad out, and its ok!

It really riles me that people seem to think that disciplining a child is wrong!

My parents never hit me, they never had to, i knew where i stood - if I got told off for something, i got told off for it, no matter where or when it was, and so did my brother or sister. My brother got a fair few smacks though - he tried to play the boundaries too much, and now, he appreciates that it brought him in line.

Children need to learn, they are not like adults who can listen to pros and cons and make an informed decision - they need to be told, in no uncertain terms, and with no ambiguity.

Answer 11

The trouble is, as an onlooker you would be totally unaware of the reasons behind the smack, it may appear to you that the child had been smacked for the whatever happened in front of you! However as a parent I know to well how very naughty children can be and I know that at times I have been driven to dispair by my kids because of theit behaviour! In the past I may have shouted at them in public and very rarely smacked their hand or bottom if they had been really so naughty that their behaviour over perhaps several hours of " no don't do that" etc etc had driven me to smack them, as all other options were failing! You can always take toys off kids at home or stop them having a treat, but sometimes when you are out the kids feel they have the upper hand! Unless you have ever had kids who are close together in age, and perhaps kids that don't sleep well or eat well. Then perhaps you would understand! All kids are different and as a parent I know their is nothing more embaressing than shouting at your kids in public, but what you have to remember is, if kids think they can get away with bad behaviour because mums to worried about what other people think,,,, well say no more, is this why we have a society with ASBOs, perhaps their parents were to worried about disaplining their kids in public!
Also may I also bring up the other side of the coin, when, if your kids are naughty in public and people look at you as though you are not telling them off enough!
Dammed if I do Dammed if I don't !
Quite honestly as long as these poor kids are not really abused, a telling off or a smack on the hand or bottom if really really bad for eg running in the road without looking!
I have seen parents that have gone way over the top and I know what you mean, but I try to tell myself that those parents have probably had to tell their little darlings a thousand time that morning not to do something!