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Smacking children

(287 Posts)
Grandma70s Thu 27-Jan-22 21:34:11

I smacked my children very occasionally, when I was desperate and exhausted, and very much wish I hadn’t. I am ashamed it.

I was never smacked. My mother said she smacked my brother occasionally, but only because she had no idea how to cope with him. Like me, she was ashamed of it. We saw it as failure.

My grandchildren are never smacked.

How can hitting a child ever be right?

crazyH Thu 27-Jan-22 21:31:15

Iam64 ?

Bibbity Thu 27-Jan-22 21:29:30

Also the fact it was legal does not make it any less damaging. Many laws come have come in later in the years. That doesn't make the crimes any less awful for the victims.

Iam64 Thu 27-Jan-22 21:27:24

CrazyH, yes it was reading that thread that prompted me to start this one. I didn’t want to post there, didn’t want to add to the OPs distress
Sumner love ?

The point about prisons is well made. The majority of people in prison didn’t come from anti smacking households

Blossoming Thu 27-Jan-22 21:26:41

It’s never OK.

Bibbity Thu 27-Jan-22 21:26:21

"My eldest says she was abused because I made her eat cabbage even when she cried!"

That is actually very damaging and something else that has been extensively looked into. It can increase the risks of Eating disorders and is somewhat abusive.

To reverse it how would you feel if I used my power to force you to eat something against your will.

Sara1954 Thu 27-Jan-22 21:25:03

I imagine a lot of our generation smacked our children from time to time, and I imagine that a lot of us, myself included, wish they hadn’t.
I have a clear image of one of my cousins having her knickers pulled down, and her bottom smacked really hard, can’t remember what she did.

halfpint1 Thu 27-Jan-22 21:23:44

Yes this has been touched on by the other thread but it is an interesting point. I know I did smack but infrequently (4 children) and more out of fright when they did something stupidly dangerous ,road ignorance for example.
My eldest says she was abused because I made her eat cabbage even when she cried!

Bibbity Thu 27-Jan-22 21:19:48

Science has made it very clear that smacking is not OK.

The way some go on here there was never a naughty child or adult in prison! Couldn't have been as a good old fashioned assaulted stopped all of that.

I mean again science says the opposite but let's not dwell on that!

crazyH Thu 27-Jan-22 21:14:21

Iam64, there’s a similar veined discussion titled grown up children accuse me……

Summerlove Thu 27-Jan-22 21:13:31

According to some - you can always tell the children who weren’t smacked in public.

So, you must have been a hell raiser and just pretending you were well behaved. ???

Iam64 Thu 27-Jan-22 21:08:57

Is it ever ok to smack a child?
It’s often said children were better behaved when smacking was seen as reasonable, indeed responsible chastisement.

My mother was the oldest of four, she was born in 1922, they weren’t smacked. My dad said his house was the only one on the street that didn’t have a strap hanging on the back door to belt the children with.
They didn’t smack us children. We haven’t smacked ours. My children don’t smack their children either
So - no I do not believe smacking children is ok. There are much more effective, kinder and less frightening ways to set expectations about behaviour