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smacking

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Rachael

    Like someone said before a good parent shouldn't need to smack.

    so what am I then ?

    Yes I have smacked, so come on tell me what does that make me ?
    Oh before you come out with any rubbish, I have 'smacked' or 'tapped'..........I have not 'beaten', theres a 'huge' difference !!!!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by rainbow brite
    I would disagree that its an apples/oranges type debate. I think the two are the same thing. Women used to be seen as lesser humans and it was perfectly reasonable for a man to physically chastise them. Whos to say that in the future children wont be seen to have the same rights to not be assaulted as adults?
    I would argue that noone benefits from hitting children, certainly not the child, I cant think of any real benefit. It is a method of chastisement certainly, but its a violent method, and there are other better methods that dont involve physical violence - why smack?

    and since when did not letting a child have snacks cause stomach aches?

    well erm not giving them their dinner as a punishment would result in hunger and alas you have a stomach ache!

    and to the qurstion of why smack - different situations require different methods and levels of punishment, and smacking tends to be seen as a last resort by those who practice it so all fair

    and the upbringing of a child is the responsibility of its parents, whilst the government is there to provide what parents cant like education and making sure parents arent abusing their kids, and theres laws to protect the right to not be abused as it stands

    whilst the wife's life is not the responsibility of the husband, and if it used to be seen as that, its only because society/friends/family basically forced lots of women out of work into marriage without a choice, with children in this country, almost 100% would be unable to be independant up to the age of about 10 when chances of survival rise from zero to easily less than 50% whilst a woman could support herself quite simply

    i get what your saying, your just not being very realistic at all and it is comparing apples and oranges!

    do you not agree that the real problem is actually finding a way to better enforce current laws as they arent exactly lacking are they? instead of creating more technicalities
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by rainbow brite
    Nobody wants to believe their parents did the wrong thing, I know I wouldnt if it was me.

    Nobody is perfect, not even our parents. I would say if my parents were in the wrong re smacking. I was smacked because I was a little 'shit', my gob forgot to shut up.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and you learnt from it - only use your gob when someone has actually said something offensive



    oh and its proven that children and people in general mainly think short term so if you say to a kid "you can have a choc bar now or 2 if you wait an hour" theyll take the one bar at that time, and theres very few short effective methods of punishment, obviously being a last resort

    still amazed tony balir told the lords "dont vote complete ban we dont want to be intruding into the home" :lol: not like him
    though hed want statues of himself everywhere
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Becky, you are not a bad parent, however smacking is wrong. Where to begin...

    1. Using violence, however slight, as a method of control teaches a child that violence is a suitable way to control people. Children learn from their parents, that is why the sons of wife-beaters often go on to be wife-beaters themselves.

    2. Smacking is never used in a calm and rational manner- it is always used in the heat of the moment. This teaches the child that violence is a good way of dealing with anger. Alsom, because smacking is done in anger, it does not teach the chil;d a lesson, it teaches the child to not upset its parent. A tantrum at 9am after a good sleep for the parent will not result in a smacking, but a tantrum later will. Children need consistency, they are like animals in this respect, and any punishment needs to be consistent, not ad hoc. Angry punishment is ad hoc.

    3. Children who regularly throw tantrusm are doing it for attention; depriving them of this attention is the way to deal with it. Smacking them is not depriving them of attention.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BumbleBee
    Walk away. I've seen it work on so many occassions.
    Ha ha my mum did that to me once...so I ran off!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Becky,
    Nobody is saying you are a bad parent, they are putting forward reasons why they themselves do not agree with it. If you believe that they are saying you are a bad parent then by your reckoning they would make bad parents or indeed already are bad parents for choosing not to smack their children!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    who here got smacked as a child?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by VinylVicky
    Ha ha my mum did that to me once...so I ran off!
    My mum did that too me too, and I turned from a child having a tantrum into a lost child in Savacentre. She could see me the whole time but I couldn't see her. I was shit scared and never left her side during a shopping trip ever again. Lesson learnt.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    3. Children who regularly throw tantrusm are doing it for attention; depriving them of this attention is the way to deal with it. Smacking them is not depriving them of attention.


    mr kermit youre going on aobut specific examples where id never smack my child anyway - as a supporter of the idea of allowing parents to smac their children - id never smack my child (if i had one) in a tantrum, its obivous tantrums are there for attention

    i cant think of any really good examples of where id be willing to smack a child, best ones would be like smacking its hands if its goig to steal something in a shop, or if i stop them running into a road id give a gentle smack so they associate that particular action with pain

    am i wrong?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by VinylVicky
    who here got smacked as a child?

    i did, very rarely, never for misbehaving, only as to associate an action with pain as ive discussed previously

    actually i did get smacked hard for misbehaving once but i was like 13 and bang out of order to my mum, as in i wouldnt even do it to my mate so alls fair really
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BumbleBee
    My mum did that too me too, and I turned from a child having a tantrum into a lost child in Savacentre. She could see me the whole time but I couldn't see her. I was shit scared and never left her side during a shopping trip ever again. Lesson learnt.
    the first time she found me in The Early Learning Centre, the 2nd I was having a cup of tea and biscuits in the security office!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was smacked, well, tapepd to be precise, occasionally. I didn't like it, but it wasn't as effective as being punished with boredom.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by wheresmyplacebo
    i did, very rarely, never for misbehaving, only as to associate an action with pain as ive discussed previously

    actually i did get smacked hard for misbehaving once but i was like 13 and bang out of order to my mum, as in i wouldnt even do it to my mate so alls fair really
    About the same as me, I got smacked as a last resort and it neevr usually got that far as I didnt want to get smacked but if i'd been rel bad i got one anyway.

    So who here that got smacked as a kid....smacks adults and results to violence now they are grown up?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    I was smacked, well, tapepd to be precise, occasionally. I didn't like it, but it wasn't as effective as being punished with boredom.
    true. when I got too older smacking was replaced with grounding! I used to beg my mum to smack me instead!

    See when I was too young to go out on my own, the threat of a smack was the only way to get me to behave.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    I was smacked, well, tapepd to be precise, occasionally. I didn't like it, but it wasn't as effective as being punished with boredom.

    each to their own though isnt it
    So who here that got smacked as a kid....smacks adults and results to violence now they are grown up?

    no-one i actually want to know, the only violent people i know of had a sh*tty childhood as whole, whose parents swear and everything in front of them - a pity really
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit

    Children learn from their parents, that is why the sons of wife-beaters often go on to be wife-beaters themselves.

    As you said wifebeaters , we aint talking beating. Thats the difference, a gentle tap, little smack in my opinion does not constsitute abuse, theres a huge difference and the sooner people get the grasp of that the better.

    I have to go now so will be back laters......just so you dont think im running away :p
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BeckyBoo
    As you said wifebeaters , we aint talking beating. Thats the difference, a gentle tap, little smack in my opinion does not constsitute abuse, theres a huge difference and the sooner people get the grasp of that the better.

    I have to go now so will be back laters......just so you dont think im running away :p


    yeh everyone seems to think we're on about beating and that being the only punishmnet, when we aint we just think a gentle tap or something like that as another way of punishment/warning sort of thing since id never smack as a punishment, more as a warning if they tried stealing and i smack their hand or something to warn them not to steal again
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BeckyBoo
    As you said wifebeaters , we aint talking beating. Thats the difference, a gentle tap, little smack in my opinion does not constsitute abuse, theres a huge difference and the sooner people get the grasp of that the better.

    I have to go now so will be back laters......just so you dont think im running away :p
    exactly. I dobt most people can even remember many times they were smacked. being beaten is a different case all together.


    in a bit Bec ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BeckyBoo
    As you said wifebeaters , we aint talking beating. Thats the difference, a gentle tap, little smack in my opinion does not constsitute abuse, theres a huge difference and the sooner people get the grasp of that the better.

    I never said it did. I used wife-beaters as an example; men whose fathers believed that a woman's place was in the kitchen tend to believe it too. The abuse aspect was just an example.

    It does depend; a gentle occasional tap probably won't do much damage, emotionally or physically, but that isn't what's at issue. tappers aren't gonna be locked up for it.

    What is being outlawed is using things like slippers and belts, and hitting hard and often. Can anyone sit here and say that physical punishment is the best way of punishing a child, and that to do it regularly is fine?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but those are already technically illegal as they are in no way reasonable chastisement

    you either ban all forms of hitting a child or you keep it as it is

    my argument is the lack of proper legal defintiaion in the law thats being rushed through, like people suffer different levels of redness, some people bruise more easily than others...

    its just impossible to legally state what a limit on whats fair and whats not

    this new law pleases noone!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit

    What is being outlawed is using things like slippers and belts, and hitting hard and often.

    No it's not, they are proposing banning anything that leaves any kind of mark. (as the compromise deal) or any contact whatever (as the full ban)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    Becky, you are not a bad parent, however smacking is wrong. Where to begin...

    1. Using violence, however slight, as a method of control teaches a child that violence is a suitable way to control people. Children learn from their parents, that is why the sons of wife-beaters often go on to be wife-beaters themselves.


    The first part of that is utter nonsense. My parents used smacking, I don't go around beating up on people to "control" them. Drawing parallels between wife-beating and smacking is also somewhat of a dubious line to take. They are not in the same league. You could perhaps say that children who are abused go on to abuse, but that is not the issue here, as child abuse is already illegal.

    2. Smacking is never used in a calm and rational manner- it is always used in the heat of the moment. This teaches the child that violence is a good way of dealing with anger. Alsom, because smacking is done in anger, it does not teach the chil;d a lesson, it teaches the child to not upset its parent. A tantrum at 9am after a good sleep for the parent will not result in a smacking, but a tantrum later will. Children need consistency, they are like animals in this respect, and any punishment needs to be consistent, not ad hoc. Angry punishment is ad hoc.


    That depends on the situation. Smacking can be used in a controlled manner, it's not always an angry response method.


    3. Children who regularly throw tantrusm are doing it for attention; depriving them of this attention is the way to deal with it. Smacking them is not depriving them of attention.

    Hmm. Dealt with many of these have you?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by BumbleBee
    Becky,
    Nobody is saying you are a bad parent, they are putting forward reasons why they themselves do not agree with it.

    If I have taken it the wrong way then I apologise but when someone says:
    Good parents don't need to smack.
    that tells me that I am thought of as a bad parent because I have smacked.

    For the record I dont agree with hitting/smacking frequently, I think praise and reward is a much better way to get a child to behave how you want them too (when they can understand things better obviously). Praise them and reward for the good behaviour and ignore the bad behaviour. Having said that again going back to the terrible two's its a lot easier said than done when you have a child who has been an obnoxious sod all day..............even some people here I beleive could be at the end of their tether if a child has been a litle toe rag all day.

    Also as Mist said they are banning smacking where it leaves a red mark.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by VinylVicky
    who here got smacked as a child?

    I got smacked, I got chased round the house with a slipper and I once had the belt (although it wasnt a big slap just a tap). I also had the cane at school.

    I dont use violence infact id walk away or try to talk myself out of an argument. Ive never been a one for a full on fight.
    I dont smack my Daughter all the time it was occasionally when she was littler.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Of course it is easier said than done.

    Mist, go to Safeway on a Saturday afternoon and tell me that most smacking isn't done in anger.

    Abuse and smacking are two different things, of course they are, but they are most definitely part of the same continuum.

    On occasional smack is fine, but parents who smack frequently are bad parents, IMHO. If the only way you can copntrol your child si with your hand then you are doing something wrong- most "bad" behaviour is learned.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    Of course it is easier said than done.

    Mist, go to Safeway on a Saturday afternoon and tell me that most smacking isn't done in anger.


    You're picking a biased example. That's a stressful situation, so therefore everyone would probably be on edge.

    In any case, what that is saying to me is that, rather than anger, a smack is the quickest way to stop the child from having a tantrum in the middle of a shop.

    To me that seems preferable to some people who exercise zero control over their kids in that sort of situation.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Mist
    To me that seems preferable to some people who exercise zero control over their kids in that sort of situation.
    the thing is, that not smacking does not mean zero control, it just means that you have to use non violent means to get your message across. I think that if they ban smacking, then the only problem I can see is parents who have been brought up in a smacking culture are then left without their main method of discipline, which obviously could be troublesome if then they decide that in lieu of smacking, they are then not going to do anything to control their children. I think in these cases, parenting classes are needed to explore other methods of parenting. In most cases I dont think it would be necessary though. I think parenting classes would be the ideal and most probable solution for smacking offenders, rather than prosecution .
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but banning smacking would also punish actual decent parents who use it in restraint

    the parents that smack their kids in safeway, i wonder what theyre like at home? :confused:

    the argument for not banning smacking gets highjacked by those who are like "its a quick punishment and beats no punishment at all"


    whilst im just arguing almost every form of punishment has its place and i believe there is a place for smacking

    like some of us have said already, theres a difference between a gentle smack and a beating

    my only reason for arguing against this new law is that its a highly subjective law due to what constitutes a gentle smack, as if a parent leaves a gentle red mark as the kid has sensitive skin, then they could be prosecuted and what aobut kids with darker skin who dont get red marks etc

    if a parent beats their kid theres already laws to stop it, so why not just enforce the laws better???

    do you not agree with my previous points?
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Originally posted by rainbow brite
    I think that if they ban smacking, then the only problem I can see is parents who have been brought up in a smacking culture are then left without their main method of discipline, which obviously could be troublesome if then they decide that in lieu of smacking, they are then not going to do anything to control their children. I think in these cases, parenting classes are needed to explore other methods of parenting. In most cases I dont think it would be necessary though. I think parenting classes would be the ideal and most probable solution for smacking offenders, rather than prosecution .

    so are you saying that people who have been smacked as a child will be bad parents. i take offence. i personally think i would be a good parent and i intend to use smacking as a last resort with my children. smacking is not something i would employ *everytime* my children misbehave or whatever. that is not what im arguing, but as a last resort i see no harm in smacking.

    wheresmyplacebo - i think you have it spot on :)
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