Updated 03 July 2003, 16.54

I was smacked when I was younger if I did something wrong. I never liked it and my relationship with my mother is still not good even today.

When I was between the ages of 4 and 10 I was smacked if I did something wrong. I don't believe this kind of punishment is relevent. It will just teach the child that violence is ok.

Parents always say that two wrongs don't make a right so those who smack children are hypocrites. However, parents need control over their kids, whether it is to ground them or smack them. If they are to smack them, it should be in a certain place where it does not hurt as much.

I think parents should not smack children if there is no reason to. My parents have smacked me only once, but they had a good reason to. They should stop and think what if that was them going to be smacked, and then realise how they would feel being punished in that way.

I think all parents should discipline their kids if they do something bad.

When I was younger, if I did something wrong, I would get a warning. If I did it again I would get another warning. The third time I did it I got a smack. I think that as long as they are not too frequent or hard, smacking is ok - but only for discipline. If adults are taking out their anger on the child, anger that has nothing to do with the child, then I think that that is very wrong.

I think that it is up to the parents what they do with their children even if it means having to smack them. It's no one else's buisness.

No, because kids are going to think it's all right to hit other people.

They shouldn't be hit at all. If a dog was hit in the street for doing something wrong, everyone would think it was a bad thing. When a child is hit, people thinks it's just a natural thing, which is wrong.

Smacking children only teaches them that violence is the way to solve problems. Is this the lesson we want them to learn?

I think that some parents may take advantage of been able to physically hit a child, but all children need discipline and smacking is different for different people - it either works on their child or it doesn't!

I think hitting children is a bad idea because it will probably make that child hit other poeple.

No they shouldn't! If you get a slap round the ear or head, you could get damaged! It's stupid!

I don't see the problem in smacking children. Not really little kids, you just hit them on the hand or something, but my grandma smacked my dad and nothing is the matter with him.

I know that if a child has misbehaved or not done as they are told, they should be punished but not in a way that will make them get hurt, like smacking, because it's abuse.

No way! Smacking will hurt them, encourage them to be violent, and will sever family parent-child bonds.

I think parents should be able to smack their children LIGHTLY because how else are the children going to obey them?

Only if they are being really badly behaved, but not all the time because if they do it so many times it will give a bad example.

Some parents might take advantage of being allowed to hit them, but sometimes, if children have been REALLY naughty, then they need to be told it's wrong, but maybe not so much in a harsh way.

I think that using violence as a punishment teaches the children that violence can be used as a solution. Violence leads to more violence. It should be stopped.

Yes and no, because if a child is doing wrong they should gently tap them not hit them hard. No, because it can influence children to fight and become violent, and it doesn't get anywhere with older kids.

I believe that parents do need an element of control over their children but whether that is violence is questionable. Just because someone makes a mistake do you hit them? Then they will do the same to their children when they are older! Violence never solved anything!

I think that parents should only be allowed to smack if they do something wrong.

If you raise your child correctly, you have no need to smack them. It's also physical abuse. Don't you think they'll be happy to hit other children, maybe even parents and teachers, because 'Mum and dad do it'?

Sometimes you need to punish kids, but I don't know that hitting them is right.

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