so who watched 60 minutes?

I do not and will not "smack" my children - and do not condone people that do.

It is the "easy" way out - that Aussie mum was disgusting - yet so many of you on here are like, oh well she wasn't as bad as the British mum!
How can you justify something like that - I don't care whether she was doing it "tough" - my mother brought up 5 children as a single mother, yet she didn't hit us or yell in our faces!

It is soo easy to make excuses - taking time to teach/educate our children takes longer and is harder but it is our responsibilty as parents.

That is all

I think what some people forget is that smacking is such a grey area. Some people are literally like what was shown on 60 minutes but the majority are not. The majority of people who smack do so on few occasions and dont do so in an attempt to cause pain. They do it as a shock. Like when you see a kid fall over and you know they didn't get hurt just shocked,scared.

In australia it us legal to use reasonable force. I think most people agree with this in principle but know it is hard to put into action because there is not one single definition for "reasonable".
Personally I feel that this would be a better law if there was a legal definition for reasonable. My biggest issue is I am sick of people having to be told what they should and shouldn't do. People are having to be molly coddled far to much.

We need better education. But mostly we need expectant parents and parents who LISTEN!

I think what some people forget is that smacking is such a grey area. Some people are literally like what was shown on 60 minutes but the majority are not. The majority of people who smack do so on few occasions and dont do so in an attempt to cause pain. They do it as a shock. Like when you see a kid fall over and you know they didn't get hurt just shocked,scared.

In australia it us legal to use reasonable force. I think most people agree with this in principle but know it is hard to put into action because there is not one single definition for "reasonable".
Personally I feel that this would be a better law if there was a legal definition for reasonable. My biggest issue is I am sick of people having to be told what they should and shouldn't do. People are having to be molly coddled far to much.

We need better education. But mostly we need expectant parents and parents who LISTEN!

I think what some people forget is that smacking is such a grey area. Some people are literally like what was shown on 60 minutes but the majority are not. The majority of people who smack do so on few occasions and dont do so in an attempt to cause pain. They do it as a shock. Like when you see a kid fall over and you know they didn't get hurt just shocked,scared.

I was of the impression that it is the threat of further violence, as opposed to inflicting pain that is the issue.

The shock is unacceptable in my mind as well.

Its still cortisol, the stress hormone, whether it was a smack or a shock.

I was of the impression that it is the threat of further violence, as opposed to inflicting pain that is the issue.

I dont like any of it! The threat, the consistency, the strength.

I think what some people forget is that smacking is such a grey area. Some people are literally like what was shown on 60 minutes but the majority are not. The majority of people who smack do so on few occasions and dont do so in an attempt to cause pain. They do it as a shock. Like when you see a kid fall over and you know they didn't get hurt just shocked,scared.

In australia it us legal to use reasonable force. I think most people agree with this in principle but know it is hard to put into action because there is not one single definition for "reasonable".
Personally I feel that this would be a better law if there was a legal definition for reasonable. My biggest issue is I am sick of people having to be told what they should and shouldn't do. People are having to be molly coddled far to much.

We need better education. But mostly we need expectant parents and parents who LISTEN!

How do you know the majority of people smack like that?

If it isn't for pain, but just for shock then use a bell. Animals used to be trained with "a light tap" even that isn't ok....

People are being molly coddled, because they just repeat what they know. The cycle will continue as long as people keep doing it. History shows us that. It isn't until a few individuals step up and say isn't ok and then it has to spread (which takes years usually) and eventually the people that think it isn't ok start to outweigh the ones that do think it is ok. People used to dump their unwanted babies, but eventually the church started saying it wasn't a very good idea. Eventually everyone else started to think that too and people who did dump their babies were outcast and then criminal.

All change starts with a whisper.

How do you know the majority of people smack like that?

If it isn't for pain, but just for shock then use a bell. Animals used to be trained with "a light tap" even that isn't ok....

People are being molly coddled, because they just repeat what they know. The cycle will continue as long as people keep doing it. History shows us that. It isn't until a few individuals step up and say isn't ok and then it has to spread (which takes years usually) and eventually the people that think it isn't ok start to outweigh the ones that do think it is ok. People used to dump their unwanted babies, but eventually the church started saying it wasn't a very good idea. Eventually everyone else started to think that too and people who did dump their babies were outcast and then criminal.

All change starts with a whisper.

The thing is that we are all so controlled and have so many decisions made for us that it doesn't come down to choice anymore. The world is going to end up like the George Orwell novel 1984. Im sock of there having to be a new law to stop people from doing things they know they shouldn't do. Think about the laws for car seats, government incentives for immunization, 4 yr old kindy is becoming compulsory, schools banning certain food and holidays. We are taking more and more steps towards the point where there are cameras in every room of every home to make sure we aren't doing the wrong thing.

And like I said I dont agree with smacking, I think alot of people go to far.
Did I say I think thats what the majority do? Cause thats what I meant. And I draw that conclusion from talking with other parents, seeing other parents on action, my step mum is a ta and you'd be surprised what kids tell her and even from my own childhood and that of my closest friends. So basically from personal experience. I've never seen anyone belt their children like I saw on 60 minutes with the exception of my father towards my brother but even then it wasn't as violent or often as that.

The thing with smacking is that it is generational. It is a learned behaviour from our parents.
Somebody who was not smacked as a child is less likely to smack their own children.. someone who was smacked as a child will either make a conscience decision to NOT smack (as many of us have done), or they will smack just as they were.

It will be another couple of generations before smacking stops & in 20 yeARS time, there will be a huge discussion about what a disgrace previous generations were for it being socially acceptable to smack.. the same as aids, interracial relationships & same sex relationships..

Its just gotta come full circle.

I always assumed that most people smack their kids because that's what I've seen my whole life... my parents, my aunts & uncles, past and present friends all smack their kids. I grew up with it being normal & always assumed that every other family was the same! I remember when I first heard of parents that don't smack their kids, I was about 10ish I think and mum was having a big smirk about a certain person who didn't smack and how their kids will be out of control. I always thought no smack households were the minority.

And according to my parents... they were a lot more lenient than my grandparents were. Scary considering I watched dad belt my brother with the buckle end if his belt across the hands and split the skin!

4 yr old kindy is becoming compulsory

off topic... but.. is it??? where?

The thing is that we are all so controlled and have so many decisions made for us that it doesn't come down to choice anymore. The world is going to end up like the George Orwell novel 1984. Im sock of there having to be a new law to stop people from doing things they know they shouldn't do. Think about the laws for car seats, government incentives for immunization, 4 yr old kindy is becoming compulsory, schools banning certain food and holidays. We are taking more and more steps towards the point where there are cameras in every room of every home to make sure we aren't doing the wrong thing.

And like I said I dont agree with smacking, I think alot of people go to far.
Did I say I think thats what the majority do? Cause thats what I meant. And I draw that conclusion from talking with other parents, seeing other parents on action, my step mum is a ta and you'd be surprised what kids tell her and even from my own childhood and that of my closest friends. So basically from personal experience. I've never seen anyone belt their children like I saw on 60 minutes with the exception of my father towards my brother but even then it wasn't as violent or often as that.

noddy, i totally and utterly agree with you. i think its getting out of control. i didnt say i wanted smacking made illegal. i just dont want people to smack. social change has the potential to change without law, but it usually takes a law to make people take notice. how many people just do what they know... they believe what the papers say, they believe what the gov says. its these people that need the laws because they dont have the capacity to think outside the square. unfortunately the rest suffer...

The thing is that we are all so controlled and have so many decisions made for us that it doesn't come down to choice anymore. The world is going to end up like the George Orwell novel 1984. Im sock of there having to be a new law to stop people from doing things they know they shouldn't do. Think about the laws for car seats, government incentives for immunization, 4 yr old kindy is becoming compulsory, schools banning certain food and holidays. We are taking more and more steps towards the point where there are cameras in every room of every home to make sure we aren't doing the wrong thing.

And like I said I dont agree with smacking, I think alot of people go to far.
Did I say I think thats what the majority do? Cause thats what I meant. And I draw that conclusion from talking with other parents, seeing other parents on action, my step mum is a ta and you'd be surprised what kids tell her and even from my own childhood and that of my closest friends. So basically from personal experience. I've never seen anyone belt their children like I saw on 60 minutes with the exception of my father towards my brother but even then it wasn't as violent or often as that.

noddy, i totally and utterly agree with you. i think its getting out of control. i didnt say i wanted smacking made illegal. i just dont want people to smack. social change has the potential to change without law, but it usually takes a law to make people take notice. how many people just do what they know... they believe what the papers say, they believe what the gov says. its these people that need the laws because they dont have the capacity to think outside the square. unfortunately the rest suffer...