Page 1 of Smacking Children

What do you guys think about smacking children? Personally, I believe that beating kids is wrong but, I think a smack does help prevent bad behaviour. With all these people being politically correct and saying "It`s wrong to hit children" etc... don`t they look around at the behaviour of kids today? There`s no respect for people anymore and that`s partially because of the fact that kids have everything nowadays, parents are forced to work 2 jobs to make ends meet, and parents aren`t as strict as their parents were. What are your views on this?


ExperimentNumber626

A firm but fair smack for wrong doing by the miscreant helps reinforce right from wrong at a early age I beleive, as my 3 have grown older more painful methods have been brought into play at the mid - upper range of the age scale.

Grounding
Pocket money witheld
Removal of PSone & PS2
No access to internet\laptop
No say in what channel was watched on TV

The eldest really put a foot outta step the other week, received all of the above & he still got a clip around the ear for throwing a water bomb through a open window, soaking TV, PSone, ancient laptop, karaoke machine, dvd player, clothing, his sister & my sister (good shot that one with hindsight).

He tried to swap his non-school day grounded day for a school day the following week (the offer was refused).

We`re expecting our first in about 5 weeks (holy sh*t, sorry but the realisation that my youth is shortly at an end has just hit me)... anyway, I don`t want to sound like a Victor Meldrew but I think many parents nowadays are far too lax in teaching their kids right from wrong at an early age. They seem to be afraid of being accused of abuse if they give their offspring a sharp clip on the ear or the backside. When I was a lad (oh here we go) if I did something wrong I got a smack on the arse or, even worse, on the back of the legs and you can be damn sure I didn`t make that mistake again. Did I hold that against my parents? Nope. Did I learn right from wrong? You`re damn right I did.

Spare the rod and spoil the child. That`s the problem with a lot of the youth of today, they simply got away with far too much when they were growing up and now their parents can`t control or even relate to them anymore. I`m sure I`ll love and completely spoil my child and protect him or her as much as any parent can but I`d also like to think that when the time comes I`ll also instill a sense of decency that will stand him or her in good stead for later life. Now where did I put that belt?

This item was edited on Tuesday, 6th July 2004, 13:23

Smacking should definately not be banned

There is enough pressure on parents to bring their children up in a responsible manner without the do-gooders sticking their noses.If anyone wants a good smack it these people

I have a 16 month old daughter who,if all else fails,gets a tiny tap on the fingers for wrong-doing.
It really is the only way,even at this early age,we can effectively get her to understand if she`s doing something really wrong.
We`d all love it if they responded to "no",at whatever level required,but the fact of the matter is they don`t !
At the same time,one can never condone beating a child.
A German friend of mine,as a teenager,used to get beatings with a stick from his mother and I witnessed one once.
I remember being eternally grateful that my mother never ever had to resort to that.

My youngest at playgroup yesterday was bitten badly on the arm by another boy, the mothers reaction when she turned up was "oh dear that was naughty johnny" then preceded to give him a bar of chocolate.

What message does that give the kid, If I want chocolate, I need to find someone to bite.

Quote:
A German friend of mine,as a teenager,used to get beatings with a stick from his mother and I witnessed one once. I remember being eternally grateful that my mother never ever had to resort to that.

That reminds me my dad used to get the cane from gran, he resorted to hiding it up the chimney, I think he then got the belt until the cane was knocked down by the chimney sweep, then he got the cane for hiding it in the first place.

He also got the cane for bunking off school to look at a crashed german fighter as a boy.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 6th July 2004, 13:47

For me growing up it was always the threat of a smack than the actual smack that would make me behave. Looking back I can only recall ever being smacked once (and it didn`t even hurt) but with the threat there you knew what would happen if you crossed that line, so I`m in favour of it. Obviously nobody condones beating a child but the government stance of the smack not being able to leave a red mark is stupid, if a parent smacks their child`s ass once and leaves a red mark does that make them a bad parent?

When I was a kiddie, if I did something really wrong then I got a whack on the arse for my trouble and I didn`t bloody well do it again in a hurry! It was just the flat of my mum`s or dad`s hand - I was never hit with a stick or anything.

There is a massive difference between beating a child and giving them a clip round the ear but if the politically correct crowd get their way again, parents will have to start giving their child a written warning or something similar if they step out of line.

If smacking was to be banned then the people who would be punished would be the parents who discipline their children firmly but fairly - the ones who would like their children to grow up to be well behaved with a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Meanwhile, those parents who don`t give a s*** what their kids get up to just carry on as before.

I got a smacked bum infrequently as a child - I can think of three occasions and that`s it.

I don`t understand how anyone could hit a child - or anyone! You`d tell your child off for hitting another child, and it`d be assault if an adult hit you - so how is it OK to hit a person half your size? You`re raising them - you`re in control of their behaviour, or ought to be.

What`s wrong with saying *no* to a child or moving them away from what they`re doing or punishing them by making them sit on the bottom of the stairs for a little while etc? Surely those solutions to the problem would be tried first by anyone reasonable - and a smack would be a last resort, but should it get that far - it`s too late to start with a seven or eight year old, and *surely* you are stronger physically and mentally than at three or four year old.

As for the "what if the child wanders in the road" or "what if the child sticks it`s fingers in an electric socket" defences - if you don`t teach your child to be careful around the road it`s *your* fault, if your child isn`t old enough to understand about roads then *why* are they running loose next to one?
Cover your plug sockets and put reins on your toddlers - they can`t get run over if they`re *tied to you*.

If smacking was banned people would have to be more creative and reasonable (other than getting to the end of their tether and lashing out) in disciplining their kids instead of using the easy option of slapping their legs - who wants to cause their child pain and make them cry?!

The guidelines for the compromise were (IIRC) that you can`t leave a mark (how would you know whether it would before your hand made contact?) and you can`t *intend* to hurt them... what`s the point in smacking if it`s not going to hurt?!

I definitely believe kid`s behaviour (and parent`s behaviour) has got worse - but disciplining them needs to start a long time before it gets to the point of "needing" a smack - training a child to be well-behaved has to begin at birth.

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Xfilesgurly,do you have any kids ?
A lot of your thread is utopian rubbish,to be honest.
I`ve been victim to the type of parent you suggest we `should` be,and to see a parent constantly saying "no Johnnie,that`s naughty,don`t do that" whilst little Johnny `pushes the envelope` and continues stuffing crisps into your DVD player is infuriating, when a painless little smack on the hand/bum/legs,and the inherent embarressment caused to the kid,would end it there and then.
It needn`t involve pain at all,and it should be a last resort,but to seriously suggest that smacking is in some way failing as a parent is ignorant and offensive.