On an issue that many may think would divide the nation, a whopping 90% of Australians believe it is OK to smack a child.
According to polls where almost 8000 Australians voted, 90% and more believe that it is OK to give a child a quick smack to remind them that what they have done is wrong. No one is condoning belting a child, and there is a large gap between abuse and a smack but in an age where everyone is so righteous, the poll results shock.
The issue of smacking flared up again recently when Victorian mother Claire Davidson received a knock on the door from the police who promptly informed her that if she hits her child with a wooden spoon again she would be charged with assault with a weapon. I'm not sure about you, but last time I stirred a bowl, I didn't use a deadly weapon.
Claire Davidson's daughter, who is 9, was participating in a classroom discussion when she told her class her mum hits her with a wooden spoon. Her teacher then informed a school support worker who contacted the police.
When did it become a crime to reprimand your child? When did we become so precious? Our Tasman friends the New Zealanders know all about punishing children. In 2007 it became illegal to use force to discipline your child. If parents are seen to be doing so they could be charged and turn into criminals overnight.
A recent argument put forward against smacking is that it will in fact lower your child's IQ. American (where else?) psychologist Murray Straus found that children who were smacked by their parents scored an IQ 5 points lower then those children who were not physically disciplined.
A quick poll around my office found that the majority if not all, showed no problem of smacking a child. One mother said, "Don't tell me off for smacking my kids and then when their 16 tell me to control them. If they don't learn respect and what's right and wrong from a young age, what hope is there for them?"
One can't help but to ask is this why there so many violent attacks happening? Youths of today know, no boundaries and lack respect for people their own age, older and authority figures.
So what's your opinion? Is smacking a form of abuse or a way to discipline a child every now and then?
According to polls where almost 8000 Australians voted, 90% and more believe that it is OK to give a child a quick smack to remind them that what they have done is wrong. No one is condoning belting a child, and there is a large gap between abuse and a smack but in an age where everyone is so righteous, the poll results shock.
The issue of smacking flared up again recently when Victorian mother Claire Davidson received a knock on the door from the police who promptly informed her that if she hits her child with a wooden spoon again she would be charged with assault with a weapon. I'm not sure about you, but last time I stirred a bowl, I didn't use a deadly weapon.
Claire Davidson's daughter, who is 9, was participating in a classroom discussion when she told her class her mum hits her with a wooden spoon. Her teacher then informed a school support worker who contacted the police.
When did it become a crime to reprimand your child? When did we become so precious? Our Tasman friends the New Zealanders know all about punishing children. In 2007 it became illegal to use force to discipline your child. If parents are seen to be doing so they could be charged and turn into criminals overnight.
A recent argument put forward against smacking is that it will in fact lower your child's IQ. American (where else?) psychologist Murray Straus found that children who were smacked by their parents scored an IQ 5 points lower then those children who were not physically disciplined.
A quick poll around my office found that the majority if not all, showed no problem of smacking a child. One mother said, "Don't tell me off for smacking my kids and then when their 16 tell me to control them. If they don't learn respect and what's right and wrong from a young age, what hope is there for them?"
One can't help but to ask is this why there so many violent attacks happening? Youths of today know, no boundaries and lack respect for people their own age, older and authority figures.
So what's your opinion? Is smacking a form of abuse or a way to discipline a child every now and then?
i think some people will abuse their 'right' to smack their child but it shouldnt be banned or anything because of a small minority. most parents i know would only resort to a quick smack if the child had either done something really bad which a time out would not suffice, or if the child was putting his/herself in some kind of danger ie, grabbing a sharp knife off the bench, touching a naked flame on a stove, smacking them away rather than smacking them with a wooden spoon. i dont agree with using wooden spoons, at least with the hand you can tell exactly how much force is put behind the smack.
ReplyDeleteto add my two cents i think washing childrens mouths out with soap is an effective way to teach them a lesson too, the taste takes ages to go away speaking from personal experiences. it would be even better if the child had braces but thats just my sick sense of humour.... i can picture it now.... could take days to pick it all out :) now who wants Auntie Kate to babysit???
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ReplyDeleteI don’t think any sort of violence (however minor) is an effective way of teaching any child anything accept how to be violent.
ReplyDeleteChildren should be taught to listen. I agree that some children are more uncontrollable than others. But if their teachers can get through six hours a day five days a week without smacking, hitting or using any other sort of minor violent act against them then I think it’s fair to say parents can manage their children without the controversial “smack”.
Read a book and learn some parenting skills instead of teaching your child something you’re going to have to un-teach them in the future – Violence is never OK.
"One can't help but to ask is this why there so many violent attacks happening? Youths of today know, no boundaries and lack respect for people their own age, older and authority figures."
I disagree with the above. I was smacked as a child, yet I know no boundaries and lack respect for everyone around me. If smacking a child teaches them otherwise then my parents weren't hitting me hard enough.