Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this???

[King]

There is fair bit of debate going on in NZ over the last couple of months or so about anti-smacking law that the MPs are favoring. Personally I don't quite have a problem but the brats need to be put in their place at times and any attempt to do so now with a little smack on the bum will ensure the parent will end up in the prison. My parents were not of the smacking kind but I have had my share when I've gone extremely naughty. My dad never was of the smacking type but I remember few occasions when mum had to smack me to stop me from doing something really terrible. Now I never really felt I was abused and thought they perhaps did the right thing to put me in my place. I personally would not smack kids. They already go through enough stress on a daily basis at school and smacking them only makes their lives harder. That said to advocate a law is pushing a bit too far I reckon. Abuse is terrible and sure the person abusing should be dealt with severely but a little smack on the bottom ending up the parent in a prison is stretching a bit too far. Now the parliament after having witnessed many protests across the country is pushing for an amended bill which affirms the police's discretion not to prosecute for "inconsequential assaults". Now how the heck can anyone figure out "inconsequential assaults"? For a little bit of background, read http://www.stuff.co.nz/4043488a6483.html What's your take on this?

[Holysmoke]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? bs.. sometimes a kick on the a$$ is needed.. see this...some hilarious stuff.. :lmao: [video width=400 height=350:297a888b77]

[yoda]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? I am sure there are enough laws to catch abusive parents. What exactly is triggering a new law?

[kumble_rocks]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? Useless law made by liberals in my opinion . :hic: Seriously speaking, their are more ills in western society like divorce , booze, drugs etc which cause much more harm to the kid both physically and psychologically than spanking. But , trust the lefties to ignore this !. :hic:

[sm332]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? as someone who got spanked aplenty .. I am firmly against any such law. Evidently I was a terror when young and hence some of those smacks were good for me. Negative reinforcement was required and I duly complied. I fully believe that smacking should be in all parents toolbox as a disciplinary tool

[DesiChap]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? I saw smack the freaking lawmakers ! "Spare the rod and spoil the child!"

[Gaurav]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? Smacking the child does not achieve anything. It just makes them fear you. I prefer using logic with a child.

[The Outsider]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? Have never been smacked by my parents and did not turn out all that bad a person. Hated the teachers who smacked me in school and still try to keep in touch with those who were good and didn't resort to smacking.

[Gaurav]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? Exactly Shwetabh. A good teacher earns respect by logic and not by fear. Getting hit by a thin cane (on back of my thigh) on cold winter mornings was not fun :eew:

[beetle]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? A little bit of smacking to get situation under control is ok...as long as it is not done to shame the child in front of people.Parents are responsible for bringing up children and only in rare cases smacking can be considered ok....although like gai I too believe that it rarely helps in the long run. Some parents use smacking to feel in control or just to take out their frustration...that is a big no..no. I have had my share of jootas and belans most of the time i deserved it :hic: ....but i never considered it abuse nor did i ever question their love for me . As for teachers...they have no business even thinking of such a thing .There is no reason on earth for a teacher to ever raise a hand on any child.Some kids can make you want to pull your hair out.....but such a situation has to be sorted out without shouting or hitting.If you can't control yourself...you have no business being near other peoples children.

[CC1981]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? Everything has context attached to it. Smacking the child is fine just as long as you have consistency i feel. That way, the child knows how/why he/she deserved to get smacked and not end up confused/scared of you but realizing that the error was his/hers. Not smacking can make kids really bold and out of control - my mom had this dilemma when i was 5 and we moved out of India for the first time and to Italy. Her friends there (some Indians,some Italians) told her how hitting kids is really not fine there so she stopped. And i apparently turned into a little terror overnight. According to her, the moment i threw a hissy fit on the dining table ( i used to do that- very picky eater in youth) and she did nothing, i knew i could do anything and not get smacked. I proceeded to run around our apartment like crazy until i tipped the big cupboard over. I can still remember that instant frozen in time - never did i feel the 'i am so dead. Oh my God, i am going to die!' horror so acutely as i watched a whole four-shelf almirah stacked with porcelain my parents just bought the day before start tumbling down. As i turned around, my mom had the 'if this was India, i'd be burying you alive in the backyard' look in her eyes as she came to investigate. So in short...beat your kids. Just don't overdo it and don't lose consistency.

[Gaurav]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? I am still sticking with my "NO smacking is good" line.

[Predator_05]

Re: Anti-Smacking law, how many of you advocate this??? My parents smacked me a few times when i was a kid - for good reason too, as i was a little hell-raiser who got into all sorts of trouble and was never up to any good. Who knows how i would have turned out had my parents not beat a bit of sense into me. I once broke a kid's nose for absolutely nothing - that kind of action warrants punitive measures like slapping, as with a kid like that; the velvet glove wouldn't make an impression. You have to understand that young kids DO NOT have the mental capacity to distinguish right from wrong, hence such reinforcement is required at some stage - arguing and logic doesn't accomplish anything when a child is at a certain age. If they can be disciplined early on, they will be less likely to fall out of line later. Of course, there are always exceptions - but by and large, this was the case with myself and the Indian kids i went to school with. Of course, there are limits to everything and i personally believe that parents should only reserve the right to whack a kid as a last resort. They should also abandon the whole slapping thing once the kid reaches a certain age (ie; 12+) when they are able to make decisions for themselves and shouldn't require guidance. Punishing an older kid in that manner does no good and eventually loses it's effect. Indian teachers in my experience, tend to take this slapping thing a bit too far. Hell, as a kid i once remember seeing a 10th grader being smacked silly because he spilled a drink on his computer. What was the point of that ?