Domestic Violence Council wants to raise your children (and ban parental corporal punishment)

I believe I thought only of you when I wrote that LG.

RG I love you.

No it doesn’t and when it does I’ll have to abide. Too bad if I don’t like it.

We aren’t talking about a tit in public, unless you were off to the local for a few that is.

Rg – how dare you strike that child. it has rights, enshrined in law, to stop that sort of behaviour.

I smacked my kid once, for holding her brother under the water in the bath. As much as there is a perfectly logical reason why she shouldn’t do this, she is too young too understand it yet. So I need to create an emotional reason to stop her doing it again.

This is where theory runs into practicality and practically, I don’t want her to drown her brother. That is the priority over a slight resentment for the perception of a punishment that was not deserved.

Thumper, I’ll get your cane.

Thanks Dave,
If a child forms the foundation of their being in the first 6 years of life, and they are not disciplined at a basic level, could this potentialy cause psychological problems down the track as well? Whilst I don’t have children of my own, I am surrounded by small children in my peer group and my family. It is painfully obvious when comparing different children’s behaviour that the kids who have been smacked on occasion have a much more concise understanding of right and wrong. You can attribute this to the individual personalaties of the children, but I call it learned behaviour.

As for my position that smacking can form part of an effective parenting strategy, I don’t think (and I’m sure most will agree with me) that it is akin to ‘extreme psychological trauma’; in fact I believe that far from being barbaric, it is a legitimate way to correct a small child, and provided it is used responsibly; can accelerate the social and learning growth of a youngster.

I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. My only comment would be that just because an idea doesn’t work for you, let people make up their own minds about it and avoid terms like ‘child abuse’ and ‘extreme pschological trauma’. It makes you sound quite militant, and some people might lose interest in discussing this with you.

Anyway, once again, I appreciate your input and a different perspective.

Thank you Bulldog.

I have two little girls, 6 and 9.

Nik the copper points out that many people use smacking as an aversion technique – a very ill thought out one as it doesn’t consider the child to be beyond a mechanised primitive being.

I accept your example about being smacked not causing you extreme psychological trauma. However, consider for a moment that it has contributed to your view that smacking is an acceptable parenting strategy.

A child forms the foundation of their being in the first 6 years of life.

Dave, I respect your position but I very much disagree. Smacking should not be a single tool to bring up a child, it should be part of a parenting strategy for those who elect to utilise it.

IMO a smack (you don’t have to lift the child of their feet for gods sake) is a far more efficient way of communicating displeasure to children between the ages of two and four. Once a child has a grasp of language then reasoning and communication can be just as effective.

As Nik points out, it’s natures most basic form of aversion therapy. If a small child knows better and is being intentionally naughty then discussing their actions may not be as effective as a slap on the wrist and a firm NO. I do not advocate hurting children. A smack should not leave welts or bruises.

All of my family (brothers, sisters, cousins etc) and most of my mates were smacked on occasion as children and there has been no harm done.

Dave, do you have children? I’m not reading through the bleeding heart blog to find out, I’m just curious. I don’t have children yet so maybe I will change my view down the track, I can accept that. Are you leaving yourslef open to suggestion? You sound pretty militant about the whole thing. Enlighten us a little further.

Don’t hit children when they’re small, but beat the living crap out of them when they’re teens!

No David, “smacking” is lawful chastisement.

I agree physical discipline is not the best form of education and can have detrimental results but pain is the most basic and natural from of learning our bodies have, natures aversion therapy telling us DON’T DO THAT AGAIN. Used in moderation, appropriately, it can teach where verbal communication and comprehension is unable to.