Is it legal to smack?

[Ahmed]

What is the law with regards to hitting children? Surely the child is entitled to press charges of assault against the parent?
If I was to go up to a random person in the street and smack them, I would more than likely be charged by the police.

[stoo_pid]

It depresses me immensely to write this but in July the House of Lords rejected an outright ban on smacking children. Instead they said parents are allowed to use "mild smacking". This means its perfectly legal to hit your child as long as you don't use any kind of weapon & don't leave bruises or scratches, redden the skin or cause mental harm. From what I can work out you cant do that to anyone else's kids, just your own. So the bottom line is as long as you don't leave any evidence - thump away!

[snuggles]

Unfortunately, people who DO abuse there children need these guidelines - or rather, the people who want to have grounds to prosecute them do. Smacking totally isn't necessary if you have an ounce of common sense about you, but I'm sorry to say that some parents find it easier to speak to their children like pieces of s*** and lash out. I do agree their should be a total ban on it, but "Mild smacking" certainly doesn't mean thump away.....does it? Maybe in some sorry, sad minds it does. Poor kids.

[Elfin]

There's a vast difference between hitting/assaulting and delivering a short sharp smack. Mild smacking by a parent is one of a number of effective methods of stopping younger children from continuing certain behaviour (think of adult tiger nipping cub that is acting up).  It's harmless in moderation and the parent's right to use it should not come into question.

Frankly, if that anti-smacking bill had become law, I'd be on the first plane out of this country.  Children are already given far too much leeway by way of poor and passive parenting, resulting in many kids having no respect for parents, teachers, police or any other authority figure.

I know a couple of families who have gone for the "hands off" approach and they are now paying the price as the children are precocious, selfish and think the world revolves around them alone.

As for other people's kids misbehaving in supermarkets/on trains/in the restaurant/in school etc.  Well, I'm just willing the parent to just slap 'em into submission and tell them in no uncertain terms that NO they can't have the sweets/run squawking up and down the aisle/repeatedly bang their cutlery on the table/hurl abuse at their teachers etc.

Sa dly, the days of community responsibility for behaviour have gone since elders are now prosecuted for giving a local youngster a clip round the ear and dragging them off in shame to face their (responsible) parents.

[kags]

We have to trust parents to bring up their children in a responsible, sensible and loving environment. The ones who cannot be trusted to make the correct decisions about whether they occasionally need to smack their children, will not behave any differently just because there is a law in place. We should devote resources to helping these families, and protecting the children who are at risk, rather than using those resources to police a law that will not make a real difference to society. If we stop trusting parents over this, then what next? 

[Lindy Loo]

Hear hear Elfin!! 

I can accept that many proposals are being introduced to protect children from abuse but it's going to far now. As the generations of young people are growing up, there seems to be far less respect for authority no matter where it comes from, and then when teenagers go off the rails, get involved in stealing, violence, vandalism etc who gets the blame.....yes...us parents for 'not being responsible' enough!!!

And how are we as parents supposed to react when our 'little angels' are being violent towards us in a fit of  temper? Stand there and say 'I don't really like you doing that', 'It is not nice to kick mummy like that', 'Please stop hitting me in the face with you toys, it really hurts'......I know what my reaction would be, if after fair warning they didn't stop!!!  

I agree that children should be protected from the horrendous abuse many of them endure, but to dictate how resposible parents chastise their children is totally wrong.

[Fat Boy]

you have to hit someone to get their respect Elfin?

[Elfin]

Well, Fat Boy, actually there may be an element of truth in that amongst young blokes and their peers, but in the context of children/parents we're not talking about hitting.  You must make that distinction.

[cardboard]

Elfin, I thank you for being the another person on this website that agrees with me (see my responses to the smacking topic if you want more info). Why does everyone automatically assume that smacking is tantamount to child abuse? It doesnt have to hurt, its more the shock factor you're aiming for. And surely the statistics showing the decline in smacking as a punishment and the rise in child crimes have a corelation?

[Elfin]

Hurrah cardboard!  Yes, I looked at the other topic but the question seemed a bit odd in the first place, so I didn't respond.  I agree with your points though.

I know it's slightly off-topic but did you know that kids can now be removed from certain classes/subjects if they don't like their teacher?  Now there's a debate.  Might have to post a question about that...!

[Laura-sakura]

I totally agree with Elfin.  My parents smacked me as a child when I did something wrong and bad.  I like to think I have been well brought up and taught what is right from wrong.  It did me absolutely no harm and it is simply a way of reinforcing a message.  Young children do not understand verbal messages.  I find child abuse abhorrent, but then that is a completely different argument.

[shonky]

Well, my parents never gave me any smack. I had to go out and buy it myself.