A ban on smacking children is a step closer after the Welsh Government published a bill removing "reasonable punishment" as a defence. If passed by the assembly, it will be made law and children will have the same protection from physical punishment as adults. It would mean a parent or guardian could not use the defence if accused of assault or battery against a child. But campaigners argue it would criminalise ordinary parents. Unicef UK's executive director Mike Penrose said children have the right to be protected from all forms of harm but "unfortunately, this is still not the case". "We're delighted that they (the Welsh Government) are listening to the voices of children and young people on this important issue, which will help to create a safer and fairer society for all its children and young people," he added. Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it was time to change the law. "When a parent raises a hand to a defenceless child - whether that's a smack, slap or another physically harmful behaviour - they have lost control," he said. Do you agree with this ? Or is it unnecessarily criminalising parents ?
I disagree and it's another nanny state load of ****, if a parent is causing physical harm then yes it's abuse and should be treated as such but just a smack for being naughty or to shock a kid if they are doing something dangerous it's different.
When does a smack become a hit ? And is there a part of the body that it's more acceptable to smack ? The face, bottom, legs ?
It's up to the parents these ****ers need to concentrate on real abuse other than telling people how to parent.
Back of the leg is probably the most acceptable if arguing for smacking. Face is a definite no imo. I remember my dad lining us up as kids, slipper in hand. Ahhhh happy days.
The point I'm making is that one person's 'smack' is another person's 'hit'. So how do you judge ? Does it become assault when the child has bruises or marks on them ? I agree with the analysis that when a parent uses physical force to reprimand their child, then they have lost control of their own anger. And at what age do you stop hitting them ? What if somebody smacks a 8/9 year old and they turn round and hit their parent back ? Who's in the wrong there ? Or is like for like allowed ?
Yeh, we have to report any bruises on children, and if the child intimates an adult caused it, social services will be called, and very likely they will call police also.
It's up to the parents, we don't need to be told how to do everything in life. If you don't want to smack then don't but I'll parent my kids in a way that I'm happy with. Give one of these hippy twats my youngest for a while they'd have knocked his teeth out by the end of the week.
I was smacked as a child. But there is no ****ing way on Earth that I would hit my daughter, under no circumstances whatsoever. I discipline her by removing privileges. So if she plays up, then there's no cartoons, ice cream, going swimming, playing down the park etc. That works for me as a parent. I'm not saying I'm right and this is what everybody should do. Parenting is hard work and everybody has different methods.
Yep, I thought that was well known on here lol. I suppose I've been away for a while so... Let's just say I'm a senior leader in school. And Designated Safeguarding Lead - seen it all pretty much.
All depends on the kid I think. I was always smacked/hit as a kid. Got to the point where a simple smack with a hand wasn't enough and I stupidly used to laugh at my mum when she tried it as it didn't hurt anymore so she started hitting me with other stuff. They tried taking my privileges away but I just didn't listen and did them anyway, not a lot you can really do. "You can't go down the park magic" "You can't hang out with your friends magic" I'd just leave the house and go, they couldn't/wouldn't lock me in my room or in the house so not really sure how they could've stopped me without turning physical. I appreciate it is a different world now, I would've been 9/10 when the stuff I described was happening. I doubt many 9/10 year olds have that much freedom nowadays because the world is apparently full of nonces
