7 February 2011

Slapping a child in Woden

| dazzab
Join the conversation
79

I was sitting outside Woden Plaza yesterday enjoying a cold drink and just watching the world go by.

I noticed a boy about 7 years old walking down a flight of stairs from the car park. His father (I assume) briskly walked past him and slapped him so hard across the back of the head that it made quite a loud sound which shocked me. The boy started to cry of course and just stood there while his father walked across the street and in to the shops with the meanest look I’ve seen in quite some time but no other reaction whatsoever.

Shortly afterwards the kids mother (again I’m assuming) came down the stairs behind him with a baby and younger boy in tow and yelled, ‘that’s what you get for being a naughty boy’ dragging him down the stairs with the rest of them. Just as they walked in front of me the older boy turned around and punched his little brother very hard obviously still quite upset which Mum ignored.

I have no idea what went on to cause this domestic but I can honestly say that if that kid gets slapped like that on a regular basis then I think he’s going to end up physically injured, not to mention the psychological impact. All I could think at the time was, ‘no wonder so many kids end up in such a mess’.

I left feeling quite helpless and sad.

Join the conversation

79
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Fanfan said :

What a shame.

old thread is old.

Rangi said :

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

or

if he gets smacked really hard in the back ot the head often enough and hard enough he might get a nice brain injury, that will learn him

or

it may teach him that physical attacks on people weaker than you are ok, and he can hit (bully) his siblings and classmates

or

it may teach him that excessive physical assults are the way to parent and abuse his future children in the same way, i.e. assuming the brain damage hasn’t affected his ability to breed, and he is not in jail for violence

For the record I am pro-smacking as a form of disipline, my children have been smacked. But come on surely you can do better than slapping a kid really hard in the back of the head.

I do think a well placed smack (as oppsed to a vicious) is sometimes needed and works well.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

Yeah worked great, he immediately conformed and didn’t punch his brother or nothing…oh wait…

Totally agree, anger generates anger. Kids who are hit by their parents only learn one thing: Hitting is permitted. What will happen? they will hit their own kids in return as they become adults.
What a shame.

Smacking a kids bottom is one thing, hitting/slapping/punching/knocking a child in the head is not acceptable. Not unless you think it’s acceptable for your child to do the same when someone else’s behaviour displeases him. If you need to use physical pain to get your point across, you’re doing it wrong – simple as that.

WonderfulWorld9:30 pm 11 Feb 11

Going back to the op – once I was told a story of a young child being pulled by its ear across the car park of a local supermarket, the (perceived) parent was also yelling abuse (which was not understood as the language was unknown to the person telling the tale who only speaks English), slapping the child consistently across the legs and head. This traumatised the story teller and several others crossing the car park that all stopped – they all did nothing. The reactions of people going about their business as opposed to those being asked to stop and think how they would react and could help or not is obviously quite different.
I feel this thread has been morphed into one which either condones or otherwise, hitting a child (or in some threads other people).
You reacted how you reacted. You may be off loading some guild for not reacting and sticking up for the child, but I think your reaction is not to be under estimated given the circumstances

Pommy bastard3:16 pm 11 Feb 11

Haha your explanation of each one is so ridiculous! Each post gave the very strong impression that it’s acceptable to hit a child in the head.

Without any of them ever mentioning; “slapping a child on* the head” too, or even offering any justification for the slap either. We have some very devious writers here.

*Ps, if someone had slapped a child “in” the head as you suggest, then there would have been some explaining to do.

dundle said :

PBO said :

there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Haha your explanation of each one is so ridiculous! Each post gave the very strong impression that it’s acceptable to hit a child in the head.

Where did i say anything about hitting a child in the head? I said bring back the cane, if you copped the cane in the head when you were at school then you probably went to a bad school.

Pommy bastard said :

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

PBO said :

there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

Of your three examples Jim.

One is a recognition that there may be an upside to this.

One is a tongue in cheek repudiation.

One is recognition that there may be less effectivwe way of disciplining achild.

None seek to justify the act of slapping a child across the head none support yoru assertion that anyone has claimed;

“Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.”

Haha your explanation of each one is so ridiculous! Each post gave the very strong impression that it’s acceptable to hit a child in the head.

A smack or blow to the head whether it be the front side or back is child abuse given that an injury in all likelihood is sustained near or to the brain or skull tissue.

If a parent feels the need to smack their child on any part of the body, it should be on the leg or backside.

A gulf exists between ‘hitting’ and ‘smacking’ where it is done and so forth.

Little wonder other Australians comment on Canberra people, I hope most of you who posted the comments are young enough to learn and know better before you give birth to kids.

For all of the older posters agreeing with the parents’ abuse of the alleged 7 year old, you were obviously products of child abuse yourselves, taking such hard abusive support and agreement.

My problem with this situation is 1) why wasnt the kid smacked immediately after the offense 2) Kids should always be smacked on the arms/legs or buttocks and no where else!

Pommy bastard6:22 pm 09 Feb 11

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

PBO said :

there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

Of your three examples Jim.

One is a recognition that there may be an upside to this.

One is a tongue in cheek repudiation.

One is recognition that there may be less effectivwe way of disciplining achild.

None seek to justify the act of slapping a child across the head none support yoru assertion that anyone has claimed;

“Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.”

Pommy bastard said :

No one has justified smacking a kid in the head

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

PBO said :

there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

etc.

Pommy bastard2:43 pm 09 Feb 11

No one has justified smacking a kid in the head Jim, that’s just you doing your “creative writing”.

The use of such phraseology, (as per norm; blown out of all perspective and as melodramatic as an American Soap Opera) to justify “any violence” is your creation, your idea, and your perspective, and yours alone. It reflects poorly on you.

I see Mubarak is the new Hitler for you, or is that you trying to avoid Godwin’s law?

The post I replied to was ambiguous, I paraphrased it in my reply, I’m sorry if that was too complex for you to understand.

I only wish that I was allowed to slap other people’s children. Kids behavior in public these days is terrible – yes, that’s a generalisation, but it’s not one that I’d make if it wasn’t true for a vast majority of those that I see. There is no decorum or etiquette, be it a supermarket, doctor surgery or bus.

Seriously, I don’t if I care for corporal punishment personally, but I’m happy for parents to do whatever is necessary to get their kids the hell out of my way.

Pommy bastard said :

Any parent who uses corporal punishment against a child, is only teaching that child that it’s OK to inflict pain upon others.

Any parent who uses corporal punishment against a child, is teaching that child a great deal more than it’s OK to inflict pain upon others, they are also teaching the child the consequences of actions, the fact that there are some lines which should not be crossed, and that even parents are human and sometimes will to resort to extreme measures if provoked sufficiently.

What a wonderfully ambiguous justification for smacking a kid in the head.

That paragraph would also work wonderfully as justification for almost any kind of violence, what with all the vague mutterings about ‘consequences of actions’, ‘lines which should not be crossed’ and ‘extreme measures if provoked sufficiently’.

Hell, send it to Mubarak in Egypt, he could probably use some of that kinda thing around about now.

Pommy bastard1:16 pm 09 Feb 11

Any parent who uses corporal punishment against a child, is only teaching that child that it’s OK to inflict pain upon others.

Any parent who uses corporal punishment against a child, is teaching that child a great deal more than it’s OK to inflict pain upon others, they are also teaching the child the consequences of actions, the fact that there are some lines which should not be crossed, and that even parents are human and sometimes will to resort to extreme measures if provoked sufficiently.

Any parent who uses corporal punishment against a child, is only teaching that child that it’s OK to inflict pain upon others. Anyone who physically disciplines their child should not be surprised when that child starts “physically disciplining” people who he or she disagrees with.

“When the chips are down” is a fantastic presentation by Richard Lavoie, that scratches the surface on how to raise a child with learning disabilities. The one hour video is both funny, educational, and brings up aspects of looking after children, learning disabled or not, that had never crossed my mind.

Any person, parent or not, who has an opinion on this subject should watch it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8959233021670235795

http://ppp.wikispaces.com/file/view/When%2Bthe%2BChips%2BAre%2BDown%2Bby%2BRick%2BLavoie.pdf

Pommy Bastard,
I looked but the closest I could find was PBO’s post at #5:

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Although it is a bit general.
Then there is a large number of posts with people complaining about other posters supposed support of child abuse.

A little bit of sense in this argument would be:
– very few posters would think hitting a child in the back of the head is a good form of discipline.
– some posters think smacking a child ever is bad.
– some posters think smacking a child is good if used properly.
– some posters like overreacting

Pommy bastard11:41 am 09 Feb 11

So Jim, can you please give us the post number where someone said;

Diggety said :

“2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.”

There’s only two pages, so it shouldn’t be hard for you to give us the number.

Diggety said :

I can’t understand why you persist on distorting facts.

“2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.” where exactly did you read this?

I can’t ‘persist’ in distorting facts when it’s my first comment!

And obviously it isn’t a direct quote or I would have quoted it, so I will spell it out for you. Those defending the behaviour are saying that whacking a child in the head is “discipline”. This usually means the child did something to need the discipline. Perhaps they have a strange definition that I’m unaware of, but in general positive punishment (the introduction of an unpleasant stimulus into an individual’s environment for the purposes of behaviour modification) is in response to a behaviour that the parent wants to eradicate. Hence “the child deserved it” or you could equally say “asked for it” or “needed it”.

On to the second part, these types of comments on here are mostly promoting a strongly disciplined upbringing: hence “more of it”.

I don’t think it’s particularly distorted. It just looks ugly when it’s spelled out, doesn’t it?

Diggety said :

where exactly did you read this?

Obviously you didn’t bother reading the first page of this thread.

beejay76 said :

So if my reading of the RiotAct commentariat is correct this is the way it stands:
1. Young person doing a burnout = horrifically antisocial deserving of the death penalty at least.
2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.

Correct?

It seems to me that people are putting more weight on the behaviour that could possibly impact their own lives (what if someone like that were to crash into *me*) than the behaviour that is worse for humankind, but is unlikely to impact on them personally.

And these people vote…

I can’t understand why you persist on distorting facts.

“2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.” where exactly did you read this?

Pommy bastard10:22 am 09 Feb 11

More vidence, not that any were needed, of my claim;

Pommy bastard said :

It’s a never ending source of amusement to me, how the soft left of society can never advance an argument without resorting to hyperbolic emotionalism, gross distortion of what others say, and an almost American soap opera level of melodrama.

Thank you Beejay and Jim.

beejay76 said :

So if my reading of the RiotAct commentariat is correct this is the way it stands:
1. Young person doing a burnout = horrifically antisocial deserving of the death penalty at least.
2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.

Correct?

It seems to me that people are putting more weight on the behaviour that could possibly impact their own lives (what if someone like that were to crash into *me*) than the behaviour that is worse for humankind, but is unlikely to impact on them personally.

And these people vote…

You forgot to mention that it’s all the fault of the ‘left’, who are ultimately responsible not only for soaring crime rates, but for the devolution of society as a whole, and that, left unchecked, political correctness and feminism will lead to Australia being overrun by foreigners.

So if my reading of the RiotAct commentariat is correct this is the way it stands:
1. Young person doing a burnout = horrifically antisocial deserving of the death penalty at least.
2. Man hits young child hard in head = child deserved it, should be more of it.

Correct?

It seems to me that people are putting more weight on the behaviour that could possibly impact their own lives (what if someone like that were to crash into *me*) than the behaviour that is worse for humankind, but is unlikely to impact on them personally.

And these people vote…

Pommy bastard8:10 am 09 Feb 11

For the life of me I cannot see the argument FOR a slap on the head being advocated here. Some have argued for the right of parents to physically chastise their child if the circumstances warrant it.

It’s a never ending source of amusement to me, how the soft left of society can never advance an argument without resorting to hyperbolic emotionalism, gross distortion of what others say, and an almost American soap opera level of melodrama.

No child should be slapped across the back of the head, I was brought up strict, we often got the willow switch, or the wooden spoon, and broken over me as a kid, I would just say’ didn’t hurt’, I decided when my eldest was eleven that I would not repeat the pattern, as I do believe that it is child abuse, I wouldn’t like it myself.

dazzab said :

Online forums really do bring out the best in people don’t they? Thanks for all the feedback. It seems strange how off tangent people tend to go but I guess that in itself is interesting. I saw a kid get hit so hard that it shocked me and I wondered what would become of him if that was something that happened to him frequently. I mentioned it here just as I did to friends later on. No hidden agendas, just something that happened. Or maybe i’ve captured the ip addresses of all those who thought it was ok and have forwarded your addresses on to the police? [insert evil laugh]

The thread has gone in so many tangents because your post was very broad and did not have an individual discussion point, nor was it related to Canberra (other than it happened here). Your reply above even proves it more, I could write a post about when I was wondering what to have for lunch today as it was also in Canberra? It would also have just as much of a point.

JustThinking7:07 pm 08 Feb 11

Sad to see that some people think slapping a child in the head is good parenting.
By the looks of things this time that guy was lucky but what happens next time when he fractures the kids neck or causes brain damage?
Amazing that laws in regards to men hitting women were based on the fact that men, in general, were physically larger and stronger and could do more damage (even without meaning to) than when a woman hits a man..but it is still considered OK for a man to slap a child in the head (just not his wife??)

georgesgenitals4:09 pm 08 Feb 11

Reprobate said :

georgesgenitals said :

Smacking a child is fine, provided you are doing it as part of a sensible approach to discipline.

Hmm, so if we change “child” to “”adult” or “work colleague”, is that still acceptable? If not, why the difference?

There’s a huge difference, both in responsibility of being a parent, and also in having (multiple) effective means for applying discipline. My experience is that the most effective discipline is where the child feels they have done the wrong thing, and is remorseful. Often this can be achieved through verbal interaction, removal of toy or privilege, time out, etc. Slapping the child on the bum can be used as a means of communicating that the child has stepped beyond the level for which normal discipline applies, and as such the pain does not need to be large or excessive.

If you have a clear set of boundaries and consequences, the child will typically step out of line less anyway. Belting a kid because you’re angry causes more disciplinary problems than it can possibly solve, because it results in the child feeling angry, confused and powerless.

LMR said :

Reprobate said :

georgesgenitals said :

Smacking a child is fine, provided you are doing it as part of a sensible approach to discipline.

Hmm, so if we change “child” to “”adult” or “work colleague”, is that still acceptable? If not, why the difference?

Under that twisted logic, peodphillia is ok. And what Pommy Bastard said. GTFO

This coming from someone who thinks that beating children around the head is “responsibe parenting” that will prevent children from becoming criminals?

Reprobate said :

georgesgenitals said :

Smacking a child is fine, provided you are doing it as part of a sensible approach to discipline.

Hmm, so if we change “child” to “”adult” or “work colleague”, is that still acceptable? If not, why the difference?

Under that twisted logic, peodphillia is ok. And what Pommy Bastard said. GTFO

Pommy bastard1:28 pm 08 Feb 11

Reprobate said :

Hmm, so if we change “child” to “”adult” or “work colleague”, is that still acceptable? If not, why the difference?

If you cannot tell the difference in responsibilities towards your own child and an “adult” or “work colleague”, then really you should step away from the keyboard as far as this debate is concerned.

LMR said :

dundle said :

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

You realise it’s more likely to be the opposite? Parental discipline =/= parental abuse

No, I didnt realise that, and I dont buy it.
Do you care elaborate? Please, please share with us your infinite knowledge and wisdom, and explain how exactly parental disipline = parental abuse, or are you trolling?

=/= means not equal to. Discipline is one thing, abuse is another thing and it’s generally known that abusing your kid brings them up in a culture of violence which often means they’re more likely to be off causing trouble in the years to come. This child punched his brother minutes later! What a surprise.

Hitting on the thigh or bottom is discipline, the head is not. Going for the head or neck is actually illegal; other body parts are generally not (though have been held to be in some cases). Hitting a young child on the head is also just plain dangerous.

Online forums really do bring out the best in people don’t they? Thanks for all the feedback. It seems strange how off tangent people tend to go but I guess that in itself is interesting. I saw a kid get hit so hard that it shocked me and I wondered what would become of him if that was something that happened to him frequently. I mentioned it here just as I did to friends later on. No hidden agendas, just something that happened. Or maybe i’ve captured the ip addresses of all those who thought it was ok and have forwarded your addresses on to the police? [insert evil laugh]

georgesgenitals said :

Smacking a child is fine, provided you are doing it as part of a sensible approach to discipline.

Hmm, so if we change “child” to “”adult” or “work colleague”, is that still acceptable? If not, why the difference?

Pommy bastard11:42 am 08 Feb 11

Lin said :

Ignoring all the drivel from the people who don’t have a life or social connections, let alone an ounce of community spirit…

How do you deduce people’s “life” or “social connections” from their posts here Sherlock?

georgesgenitals11:21 am 08 Feb 11

Smacking a child is fine, provided you are doing it as part of a sensible approach to discipline. When you belt a child because you’re angry, that simply teaches the kid to lash out when something irritates or upsets them.

As a parent, I’ve found smacking effective only if used very sparingly.

dundle said :

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

You realise it’s more likely to be the opposite? Parental discipline =/= parental abuse

No, I didnt realise that, and I dont buy it.
Do you care elaborate? Please, please share with us your infinite knowledge and wisdom, and explain how exactly parental disipline = parental abuse, or are you trolling?

Ignoring all the drivel from the people who don’t have a life or social connections, let alone an ounce of community spirit…

I’ve called child welfare when I saw my neighbour hit her child but there’s not much you can do when it happens on the street. Which is hard. I’ve seen situations like that and you really have to convince yourself to let go of that image because it’s beyond your control. All you can do is hope that their neighbours have some community sense and call child services one day.

The only time I ever thought it was justified to physically punish my child was a) when she put her life in danger (eg. by stepping onto the road without me) or b) when she deliberatly hurt our dog because the dog wasn’t allowed to defend herself, so I did it for her (should’ve bitten her really then, I suppose). But a smack on the bottom was enough and I haven’t had to do it after she turned 3 – she’s 6 now. If you hit your child so hard for minor offences, what are you going to do when they do something really bad? Break their knee caps?

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

You realise it’s more likely to be the opposite? Parental discipline =/= parental abuse

I-filed said :

dazzab said :

bd84 said :

So a kid was slapped by his father at Woden yesterday that you thought was over the top. So what?

And here my fellow RiotACTers is a perfect example. Don’t bother mentioning violence here as it’s a non-event. Don’t take notice of it, don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it. It’s no more important than buying a toothbrush.

Quite. Interesting that the same Rioters who complain most about antisocial behaviour, are the ones who think nothing of this serious assault on a child. I for one don’t want any children in Canberra growing up with a grudge against the world, and taking it out on the community, or my property or person.

“Serious assault on a child?” You’ve obviously never witnessed a truly serious assault on a child.

Pommy bastard8:13 am 08 Feb 11

Setting aside the ins and outs of the original post of “Oooh, I saw something I didn’t like, can I get some counselling here for it?’.

Kids always need to know there is a line in the sand in terms of behaviour, which they should not cross. Unfortunately , it is in the nature of kids to constantly push that boundary, to test what they can get away with, and also to reassure themselves that it exists. This is often a safety measure for kids, as knowing that they can get away with, and that parents are there to regulate them. Having firm and enforced boundaries make children feel secure. It also teaches them respect for rules and law.(Who can respect a law with no sanctions and no consequence?)

While I would never agree with slapping a kid on the head, that is not only dangerous it is ineffective, I strongly disagree with and abhor those who would take away the physical sanction as it deprives a family of the ultimate sanction, and enforces external control on family mores to a degree I find unacceptable.

Also, small kids are, at times, impossible to reason with as they do not have the tools to understand, or may be too emotionally overheated, a short sharp consequence to an action may be for them the best lesson.

dazzab said :

It’s no more important than buying a toothbrush.

That’s not funny, dental hygiene is a serious issue.

dazzab said :

bd84 said :

So a kid was slapped by his father at Woden yesterday that you thought was over the top. So what?

And here my fellow RiotACTers is a perfect example. Don’t bother mentioning violence here as it’s a non-event. Don’t take notice of it, don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it. It’s no more important than buying a toothbrush.

Quite. Interesting that the same Rioters who complain most about antisocial behaviour, are the ones who think nothing of this serious assault on a child. I for one don’t want any children in Canberra growing up with a grudge against the world, and taking it out on the community, or my property or person.

dazzab said :

bd84 said :

So a kid was slapped by his father at Woden yesterday that you thought was over the top. So what?

And here my fellow RiotACTers is a perfect example. Don’t bother mentioning violence here as it’s a non-event. Don’t take notice of it, don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it. It’s no more important than buying a toothbrush.

I am as suspicious as bd84 in that you’ve posted this nonsense to initiate a tired debate.

The fact that you opened your story with “…enjoying a cold drink and just watching the world go by” is a give away. Your post is as wowser fueled as they come.

And it is also untrue, isn’t it dazzab? You made it up. Be honest.

bd84 said :

So a kid was slapped by his father at Woden yesterday that you thought was over the top. So what?

And here my fellow RiotACTers is a perfect example. Don’t bother mentioning violence here as it’s a non-event. Don’t take notice of it, don’t let it bother you, don’t think about it. It’s no more important than buying a toothbrush.

Getting through all the other comments, is there an actual point to this post? So a kid was slapped by his father at Woden yesterday that you thought was over the top. So what? Was the post just to inspire another heated argument amongst users about whose parenting style is better than the other? Which in itself has been played out many times and always ends in a useless flaming match. I could have written a just as informative post about my trip to Woolies today to buy a toothbrush.

If you thought it was that bad you’d have called the police there and then to report an assault and the police would have come and taken daddy away to the big house. Writing a post on here about an insignificant event is clearly useless.

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

I take it your parents didnt love you enough so you are taking it out on everyone? Never had consensual sex in your life? pull your head in and stick to the subject you sensationalist!

Go beat and abuse your children you neanderthal.

Get someone to read you the op, they are talking about excessive violence against a child/children, which you seem to support. They were not talking about just a little smack or kick in the arse.

What’s with the ‘parents didnt love you / Never had consensual sex’ bit? What are you 6 year old, do your Mummy and Daddy know you are using the computer? Be carefull, if they don’t you might have to tell your teacher you fell down the stairs again.

Now that i have gotten under your skin, read what i wrote first and stop being a sensationalist. When did i mention excessive violence against children? You were the one asking for more of it. People should be able to dicispline their children as they see fit and dont need upstarts like you making out like its the end of the world.

Stop skipping your medication and learn to read properly, tool.

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

I take it your parents didnt love you enough so you are taking it out on everyone? Never had consensual sex in your life? pull your head in and stick to the subject you sensationalist!

Go beat and abuse your children you neanderthal.

Get someone to read you the op, they are talking about excessive violence against a child/children, which you seem to support. They were not talking about just a little smack or kick in the arse.

What’s with the ‘parents didnt love you / Never had consensual sex’ bit? What are you 6 year old, do your Mummy and Daddy know you are using the computer? Be carefull, if they don’t you might have to tell your teacher you fell down the stairs again.

Now that i have gotten under your skin, read what i wrote first and stop being a sensationalist. When did i mention excessive violence against children? You were the one asking for more of it. People should be able to dicispline their children as they see fit and dont need upstarts like you making out like its the end of the world.

Stop skipping your medication and learn to read properly, tool.

Umm, me thinks it is you who needs the reading lessons, or perhaps your abusive father belted you in the back of the head too hard and too often, and that is why you are struggling.

Ummm, I am confused, Op posts about excessive (did I hear excessive, yep pretty sure I heard excessive) violence against a child, you comment ‘ +1, there needs to be more of this’

So,

excessive violence (op) + more of it (PBO) = you support excessive violence against children, or you just didn’t read the op properly

So which is it are you a violent thug who likes to abuse children or are you an idiot, maybe a little of each.

If you don’t have any children yet please do them a favor and don’t if you do please give them up for adoption so they stand a chance.

We actually agree, people should be able to discipline their children as they see fit, and in all seriousness I am sure you would agree within reasonable limits, the Op was about excessive violence against children, NOT about if it is ok to smack or not, as I said I am pro-smacking, my children were smacked.

‘sensationalist’ wow, you got me a beauty is that your word of the day or something, the only sensational thing here is the length of your stupidity

Clown Killer said :

Parents who hit their kids simply lack the competence to deal with whatever situation has presented itself. End of story.

Sure there’ll be a chorus of trout-mouthing and posturing from the said same cohort of numb-nut parents dribbling on about how it’s a natural part of parenting and that it does no harm … and whatever other lame crap they need to help justify their failure as human beings.

Sounds like something a non-parent would say.

If someone can effectively discipline their kids without smacking, I think that’s great. Unfortunately, I can think of quite a few people I know who take great pride in the fact they have never smacked their kids. Too bad their kids are feral, undisciplined, rude, out of control little turds.

And before anyone comes up with the predictable come-back – I’m a non smacker, but don’t have anything against lawful chastisement.

dazzab said :

LMR said :

So with your years of experience working with childern at risk you didnt know what to do besides posting here? How about alerting security, or the Police?

Im as against child abuse as anyone else, but you having failed to take it further can take some responsibility if indeed this child is abused in the future.

True. In this case my experience and judgement (in the 10 secs I had to think about it) told me that this was not the correct time/place to act and that doing so could have possibly made things worse. If I was currently working with kids I probably would have been willing to put myself out there a bit more to see if there was an opportunity to help. But that was a long time ago and it’s not easy. It’s always a tough call as to whether taking action will escalate a situation and perhaps cause even more damage or not. I still do my bit to contribute but I can’t change the world.

Fair enough, to be honest if I witnessed it Im not sure Id want to get involved either. I guess it all depends on the circumstance, and with your experience you would probably make a better call than I could.

LMR said :

So with your years of experience working with childern at risk you didnt know what to do besides posting here? How about alerting security, or the Police?

Im as against child abuse as anyone else, but you having failed to take it further can take some responsibility if indeed this child is abused in the future.

True. In this case my experience and judgement (in the 10 secs I had to think about it) told me that this was not the correct time/place to act and that doing so could have possibly made things worse. If I was currently working with kids I probably would have been willing to put myself out there a bit more to see if there was an opportunity to help. But that was a long time ago and it’s not easy. It’s always a tough call as to whether taking action will escalate a situation and perhaps cause even more damage or not. I still do my bit to contribute but I can’t change the world.

PBO said :

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves.

But at least when they do break the law through lack of discipline, there’ll be a nice comfy bed and plasma waiting for them at the Hume Hilton. What one person calls a smack, another calls child abuse. The same way what one person calls jailing a criminal, another calls it inhumane confinement.

dazzab said :

I knew when I wrote this that I’d cop a fair amount from some people and that’s fine. I was interested in what people had to say and I was debriefing a bit.

I am a bit surprised though. People seem to have missed that what disturbed me was not that a child was slapped but rather how hard he was slapped.

That kid was standing on a step holding on to the railing probably waiting for his family to catch up to him. If he hadn’t been holding on he certainly would have fallen forward down those stairs given how hard he was hit. I know the difference between discipline and violence. If that guy had hit his partner in the same manner I’m sure you would all be going off about domestic violence.

As for minding my own business, well that’s just what I did at the time. I’m not sure that was the right thing to do but the guy took off and I just couldn’t think fast enough about what, if anything, I could do that would have a positive outcome for the kid and the family. So I chose to leave it knowing that the issue is going to come up again. Indeed, I’d bet big money the family is already known to child protection. You don’t hit a kid with that much force and anger without attracting some attention. Hopefully they will have the opportunity to work things out before something awful happens.

I spent years working with homeless kids on the streets. Not all of them were brats that needed a kick in the bum. I wouldn’t wish the crap they typically went through on anyone. And this incident just struck me as looking back in time to where it all starts.

So with your years of experience working with childern at risk you didnt know what to do besides posting here? How about alerting security, or the Police? I would have thought somone with your training and background would know exactly what to do under these circumstances. It would probably all be on the malls CCTV system.

Im as against child abuse as anyone else, but you having failed to take it further can take some responsibility if indeed this child is abused in the future.

Clown Killer4:38 pm 07 Feb 11

Parents who hit their kids simply lack the competence to deal with whatever situation has presented itself. End of story.

Sure there’ll be a chorus of trout-mouthing and posturing from the said same cohort of numb-nut parents dribbling on about how it’s a natural part of parenting and that it does no harm … and whatever other lame crap they need to help justify their failure as human beings.

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

I take it your parents didnt love you enough so you are taking it out on everyone? Never had consensual sex in your life? pull your head in and stick to the subject you sensationalist!

Go beat and abuse your children you neanderthal.

Get someone to read you the op, they are talking about excessive violence against a child/children, which you seem to support. They were not talking about just a little smack or kick in the arse.

What’s with the ‘parents didnt love you / Never had consensual sex’ bit? What are you 6 year old, do your Mummy and Daddy know you are using the computer? Be carefull, if they don’t you might have to tell your teacher you fell down the stairs again.

Now that i have gotten under your skin, read what i wrote first and stop being a sensationalist. When did i mention excessive violence against children? You were the one asking for more of it. People should be able to dicispline their children as they see fit and dont need upstarts like you making out like its the end of the world.

Stop skipping your medication and learn to read properly, tool.

I knew when I wrote this that I’d cop a fair amount from some people and that’s fine. I was interested in what people had to say and I was debriefing a bit.

I am a bit surprised though. People seem to have missed that what disturbed me was not that a child was slapped but rather how hard he was slapped.

That kid was standing on a step holding on to the railing probably waiting for his family to catch up to him. If he hadn’t been holding on he certainly would have fallen forward down those stairs given how hard he was hit. I know the difference between discipline and violence. If that guy had hit his partner in the same manner I’m sure you would all be going off about domestic violence.

As for minding my own business, well that’s just what I did at the time. I’m not sure that was the right thing to do but the guy took off and I just couldn’t think fast enough about what, if anything, I could do that would have a positive outcome for the kid and the family. So I chose to leave it knowing that the issue is going to come up again. Indeed, I’d bet big money the family is already known to child protection. You don’t hit a kid with that much force and anger without attracting some attention. Hopefully they will have the opportunity to work things out before something awful happens.

I spent years working with homeless kids on the streets. Not all of them were brats that needed a kick in the bum. I wouldn’t wish the crap they typically went through on anyone. And this incident just struck me as looking back in time to where it all starts.

PBO said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

I take it your parents didnt love you enough so you are taking it out on everyone? Never had consensual sex in your life? pull your head in and stick to the subject you sensationalist!

Go beat and abuse your children you neanderthal.

Get someone to read you the op, they are talking about excessive violence against a child/children, which you seem to support. They were not talking about just a little smack or kick in the arse.

What’s with the ‘parents didnt love you / Never had consensual sex’ bit? What are you 6 year old, do your Mummy and Daddy know you are using the computer? Be carefull, if they don’t you might have to tell your teacher you fell down the stairs again.

Hey Daz, weird comments today eh? It’s like only the most die hard trolls are on lately, maybe it’s the new format or something?

Anyway, I feel for you. And for the kids involved. Even if some readers are a person who says, ‘yeah, a smack is okay, happened to me when I was a kid and I’m fine’ etc etc. Who would you hit someone without a word and walk off?

Smacking is not what I’d do, but I could accept seeing a situation where a child gets a small smack and then the parent explains why the smack had to be. Stay with the child, not walk off with them crying! Hitting someone out of the blue is something a bully does. Hitting someone from behind is a cowards act.

LMR said :

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

Of course, Thats what this thread is all about!?

The op commented on what they viewed as excessive violence to a child i.e. ‘slapped him so hard across the back of the head that it made quite a loud sound’, ‘I can honestly say that if that kid gets slapped like that on a regular basis then I think he’s going to end up physically injured’

I commented, sarcastically, with my view, on #5 PBO wanting more violence on children, so yeah, that IS what this thread is about. But thanks for your help anyway.

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

I take it your parents didnt love you enough so you are taking it out on everyone? Never had consensual sex in your life? pull your head in and stick to the subject you sensationalist!

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

Oh right, because the bogans that smack their children around in public never have any trouble with the law, do they? Property crimes and assault are presumably all committed by people who weren’t beaten enough when they were young.

Rangi said :

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos!

Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

Of course, Thats what this thread is all about!?

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I whole heartedly agree, more violence against children, more rape, more murder, more whaling, more plastic bags, more asbestos, more asbestos, more asbestos! Do me a favour chuck in some extrafamine and a couple of handfuls of cancer too please.

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

or

if he gets smacked really hard in the back ot the head often enough and hard enough he might get a nice brain injury, that will learn him

or

it may teach him that physical attacks on people weaker than you are ok, and he can hit (bully) his siblings and classmates

or

it may teach him that excessive physical assults are the way to parent and abuse his future children in the same way, i.e. assuming the brain damage hasn’t affected his ability to breed, and he is not in jail for violence

For the record I am pro-smacking as a form of disipline, my children have been smacked. But come on surely you can do better than slapping a kid really hard in the back of the head.

I do think a well placed smack (as oppsed to a vicious) is sometimes needed and works well.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

Yeah worked great, he immediately conformed and didn’t punch his brother or nothing…oh wait…

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

Oops, looks like you posted on the wrong forum, apparently child abuse isn’t tolerated it’s to be actively encouraged.

“I got belted with a stick when I was young and it didn’t do me any harm” apparently it did but the people around you won’t say anything

Mr Gillespie said :

Animals have breeding licences. Why not people??

Because most of the people who go on about licences for kids are the ones most likely to be refused.

‘We MUST protect the children” Screw that, I want my R18+ for video games and my damn fireworks back!

Mr Gillespie2:26 pm 07 Feb 11

Animals have breeding licences. Why not people??

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

indeed!!!

I can’t believe that this still happens in this day and age.
Obviously the parents should have taken the child into a quiet area and had a 10 minute conference explaining to the child what was wrong with his behaviour and remedial steps that the child could take to reform said bad behaviour. Perhaps a warning that if the behaviour continued a stint in the “naughty corner” would be next?

Dazzab,
maybe next time you see an event like this you can take the parents aside and direct them in the proper parenting method?

Do something about it or STFU.

LMR said :

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

Davo111 said :

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

PBO said :

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

Yep, yep, and yep.

Although I wouldn’t smack a child near his or her head/face. Smacking (appropriately) is a time-tested method of teaching discipline and consequences.

That stuff normally only happens at the Hyperdome.

eyeLikeCarrots said :

I don’t agree with the posts proclaiming guilt inspired Internet posting.

But I will say that some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have kids.

You talking about the OP or the person in his story?

I know when I was younger, if I did something wrong, I got yelled at, did it again, got a smack, go back and do it a third time, I got a spanking and grounded. (Slow learner this one)

I haven’t turned into a junkie or a murderer or anything. Kids need to know that if you break the rules you have to suffer the consequences….

eyeLikeCarrots1:28 pm 07 Feb 11

I don’t agree with the posts proclaiming guilt inspired Internet posting.

But I will say that some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have kids.

Diggety said :

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

+1, there needs to be more of this. We live in a society now where children are wrapped on cotton wool and dont get to learn things for themselves. Bring back the cane i say.

I saw a kid get smacked and thought I should complain on the internet to absolve my guilt for doing nothing at the time. Where can I collect my humanitarian prize?

“I left feeling quite helpless and sad.” boo hoo.

It’s none of your business.

Probably more effective than putting him on the naughty step

The upside is that with some parental discipline he may learn to respect authority and not end up a hoodie wearing thug robbing people and stealing cars. +1 for responsibe parenting.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.