Smacks of hypocrisy?

MookJong

MookJong

MookJong

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The trailer for this program came on the TV the other day:

Thursday 21st - 21:00
ITV1
I Smack and I'm Proud
Documentary looking at and analysing the behaviour of five sets of parents who believe in smacking as an appropriate means of disciplining their children. Experts Dr Miriam Stoppard, Lynette Burrows and Professor Christina Lyons and other parents give their views - both for and against
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After it finished my Girlfriend asked me if I was smacked as a child. I know I was on one occasion but that was all and I can't actually recall it. She said her parents were totally against it and she had never been smacked even once.

I am also against it, and would never hit my child no matter how light, because the intention behind it is simply wrong. Once I started doing martial arts this very much reaffirmed my belief.

I know I'm probably in for a flaming here but in my experience if you know how to bring your children up correctly from the start there is simply no need to resort to physical punishments, ever. I've yet to see C4's Supper Nanny hit a child and she is able to turn the worst children around.

So were you smacked and would you smack your own children? Is it a natural thing to hit a child or as I believe, is it simply displaying a total loss of control on the parents part?
 
I had the **** kicked out of me on a regular basis.

And I'm not having kids...So I can't answer the second part.

*n
 
I was smacked as were both of my sisters. In my opinion it never did me any harm. My mum was trying to bring up three girls while my dad worked away for most of my childhood. Other than when dad was around when just the threat of her telling dad what we had done scared us enough to behave, she would count to three and if we hadn't stopped misbehaving by the count of three we would get a smack on the bum.

I don't know how i would feel about it with my own children but when the time comes it will be a decision made between my partner and i whether or not to smack.
 
I was smacked once or twice. My mum told me that I was playing 'chicken' in the road when I was in primary school, she told me not to do it, but caught me doing it again the next day. So she smacked me across the back of my legs and asked me if that hurt, I said yes, she said imagine how much it would hurt if a car hit you. I never did that again!

I don't think though that I would hit a child when I become a father. As with blackstar my father was away quite a bit, so it was my mum looking after my brother and me, when my dad was here I certainly behaved!
 
Smacking begs the inevitable question from the child
"Daddy, why can you hit me but I can't hit you or mummy?"
to which you have to reply
"Because I'm your father" or something equally lame unless you're particularly eloquent at explaining disciplinary concepts to a young child.
 
Depends on the situation. I was smacked as a child and it never did me any harm. I also went out to play without worrying about bugs and diseases and that didn't do me any harm either. Bloody molly-coddling nation we are now.
 
$loth said:
I was smacked once or twice. My mum told me that I was playing 'chicken' in the road when I was in primary school, she told me not to do it, but caught me doing it again the next day. So she smacked me across the back of my legs and asked me if that hurt, I said yes, she said imagine how much it would hurt if a car hit you. I never did that again!
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I can understand your mum's actions there because she was probably scared wittless and didn't know any other way to convay the seriousness of the situation.
 
Gilly said:
Depends on the situation. I was smacked as a child and it never did me any harm. I also went out to play without worrying about bugs and diseases and that didn't do me any harm either. Bloody molly-coddling nation we are now.
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too bloody true.
 
Smacking is better than a lot of other punishments. Its overly-simple to assume that not smacking is better when the scope of emtional and behavioural punishments that are often used as an alternative can have longer and more subtle effect.

You are not neccessarily a good parent for not smacking, nor a bad parent for smacking

EDIT:
Gilly said:
Depends on the situation. I was smacked as a child and it never did me any harm. I also went out to play without worrying about bugs and diseases and that didn't do me any harm either. Bloody molly-coddling nation we are now.
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I agree with this. I was also smacked as a child, and it's better than poncing around when you can give a short and sharp punishment and it be over in seconds.
 
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In my opinion, being lenient on your child is what has caused the nation of brats with no notion or fear of discipline and no respect for authority which we have now.

Bunch of ****ing limp-wristed liberals.

*n
 
Gilly said:
Depends on the situation. I was smacked as a child and it never did me any harm. I also went out to play without worrying about bugs and diseases and that didn't do me any harm either. Bloody molly-coddling nation we are now.
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But what has molly-coddling got to do with it? I was far from molly-coddled and I can tell by my Girlfriend parents she certainly wasn't (her parents are teachers). There is this sterotype from those who were smacked that children that weren't were obviously wrapped in cotton wool.
 
I was smacked, quite regularly, I don't think it did me any harm but who do I have to compare against?

penski said:
I had the **** kicked out of me on a regular basis.

And I'm not having kids...So I can't answer the second part.

*n
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That's completely different from smacking though, isn't it?
 
penski said:
In my opinion, being lenient on your child is what has caused the nation of brats with no notion or fear of discipline and no respect for authority which we have now.

Bunch of ****ing limp-wristed liberals.

*n
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Yep

Both my brother and I were smacked if we got out of hand, and we quickly became polite angels that other parents loved.

Pretty much everyone I know was smacked as a kid, and it has done no damage, all these people are decent human beings.

Obvioulsy beating children up is wrong, and I am not saying that people sould smack kids, I just hate people on their high horses looking down at those who do.

ps. I don't plan on having kids
 
JollyGreen said:
Smacking begs the inevitable question from the child
"Daddy, why can you hit me but I can't hit you or mummy?"
to which you have to reply
"Because I'm your father" or something equally lame unless you're particularly eloquent at explaining disciplinary concepts to a young child.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked children don't consider their parents to be peers...


"Daddy, why can you smack me but I can't smack you or mummy?"


"The same reason you cant reach the high shelf or drive a car, now hold still"
*SMACK*
 
Gilly said:
Depends on the situation. I was smacked as a child and it never did me any harm. I also went out to play without worrying about bugs and diseases and that didn't do me any harm either. Bloody molly-coddling nation we are now.
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Agreed, 100%

I was smacked as a kid, mainly because I played up after being told not to do so, I was also caned at school. On both occasions the 'punishment' did its job and prevented me from misbehaving again. It is called learning.

Bloody liberal loonies are the cause of all the bad behaviour we have to suffer these days. I see a direct correlation between the abolition of corporal punishment in schools and the rise of anti social behaviour, couple that with trendy parents and politically correct social commentators and we have to witness the results of this recipe for disaster everyday.

I don't have children, nor am I planning on doing so, but if I do, they will be disciplined in whatever fashion I see fit:

Give the lil' bleeders a clip rand the ear'ole! :D
 
i was smacked now and again as a child and i agree, it doesn't do any harm. We not talking bodily harm here of course, just a little discomfort.

Sometimes kids can't rationalise right from wrong and no matter how you explain things they can treat it as a game or forget it after a few minutes. A smack here or there helps them to realise sometimes there are things you shouldn't do. I'm not talking about smacking a child every time you want them to remember something here, but rather things like playing with knives etc etc. No normal parent smacks their child for kicks but it can be useful to help them understand right from wrong.
 
AJUK said:
Agreed, 100%

I see a direct correlation between the abolition of corporal punishment in schools and the rise of anti social behaviour, couple that with trendy parents and politically correct social commentators.
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What I see is a total lack of respect from children these days, I am convinced that this stems from lazy parenting and not being taught manners / right and wrong rather than a lack of pain.
 
I am one of four brothers and we all got our fair share of the wooden spoon or belt :D

As has already been said a smack is quick, to the point and lets the child know in no uncertain terms that he or she is being punished. It wasn't often we repeated what it was we did wrong!

We have got by on smacking our kids for thousands of years, why change now?

SiriusB
 
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