Is smacking children socially acceptable?

Children better recognize!

I say it's never OK to hit a child. It's completely ineffective, can be damaging, and can easily go too far. It's reactive, not proactive.

I was spanked with a belt as a kid and not once did it ever deter me from getting into trouble. Nor did it make me respect my parents AT ALL. It also does nothing to promote better decision making in children.

usually, its the parents that need to be smacked.

when my kids are acting like retards i just smash up there toys with a hammer and make them cut themseleves with the broken plastic.

I'm not sure what "SOCIALLY acceptable" means, but hitting your kids is not acceptable...

I`m going to smack your child.

I believe all animals use 'violence' to teach their offspring when they do wrong. For example, a lioness will nip her cub if it hurts her. I don't regard this as violence but as part of her teaching.

However, my mother was so out of control she could've easily killed us with her beatings often using a dog's choke chain to smack us. I do not agree with that sadistic violence but I do agree it kept us out of trouble.

The 'experts' say a child will never remember a smack as long as they themselves feel it was justified.

The only time I ever smacked my toddler son was when he ran out between two parked cars onto a main road. He ran off as I was laden down with bags of groceries. I only smacked him so that he would never do it again - as stern words were not enough, and he was still laughing at the game! It was not done with hatred but with love, to save his life!

And yes, I would do it again!

Punishment can correct behavior, but praise gives better results. Physically hitting your child can damage the relationship between you. If you've got to the point where you want to hit your child, you need to consider where your parenting went wrong in the first place.

seriously @ the last option having the most votes? you ppl are sick. so yall would allow parents to beat, abuse and bash their children? that's just wrong on so many levels.

yep. Ain't nuthin wrong with it. Just smack or spank. Keep an open hand. Don't beat the hell out of them.

it is illegal in new zealand to even lay a harmful finger on ur child, anti smacking law, but it makes good parents feel like criminals for punnishing them reasonably.

I think a child should be smacked if he/she does something wrong. I don't think that a smack to the face is okay, nor going overboard with it. My mother spanked me when I did something wrong and occasionally used the belt when I didn't get the message. Those were all learning experiences for me (even though I wouldn't say that then). If a child isn't taught the difference between right and wrong somehow, they will never know and act crazy later on. (A lot like they do now...)But I believe there's a limit. People think that if we "act violently" towards our children they will become crazy serial killers and what not. Noooo not really. Maybe if they're abused, but that's a different story. It's all a part of discipline.

I personally believe in smacking the child's butt for discipline and stuff like that. Some parents over do the spanking and end up abusing their children. I would only do this if I felt the child was being extremely disrespectful.

Attention parents who don't know better: your child does something you don't like. You hit them thinking it will teach them not to behave that way anymore. Here are the mixed messages you are sending:

*when I don't like something, it's ok for me to hit.
*I can't trust the person who is supposed to be keeping me safe
*fear is instilled which will teach them to do the behavior, but just to try not to get caught. So your helping them to become manipulative and deceptive.
*instilling fear is a temporary solution.

TRY THIS INSTEAD:

* communicate firmly, with an authoritative tone, at their eye level what they have done that you don't like. Explain why it osnt OK. Ask them if they understand. Give them option for how to better handle a situation next time. Give them problem solving skills. Ie: "next time you're upset with your sister, take some deep breaths, or find another activity to do, or come ask me for help, but it's never ok to take her toy away from her."

*this way she knows why you are unhappy with what she did, and she has some better choices for problem solving net time.

IF WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS, THEY WILL BE HAPPY ADULTS. IF WE TEACH THEM TO FEAR US AND TO HIT WHEN THEY'RE MAD, THEY WILL BE UNHAPPY ADULTS.

Depends on the kid and the situation that they're in. Some kids simply won't listen, and I find that a relatively gentle but firm smack works sometimes to get then to quiet down and listen. There are other kids who react badly to physical punishment due to past experiences. You'd really have to take in a child's personality and what they'd react better to, I guess.

I was smacked two or three times.. just quickly on the shoulder or arm. It hurt, but it let me know that my mom wasn't messing around.

When I got a little older, I started not to care when my parents took my things away.

yeah i hang my kids by their hair and a chip bag clip!

I would just smack my child on the behind nothing more. I would never use a belt or object and I would never do it for anything small just if my child cursed at me or called me stupid then that is out of line.

when I my kid burns a house on purpose I will smack it

it depends, i was hit occassionally when i was younger and it didnt really do much.