Third of adults condone smacking, poll shows

new research shows that just 14% of adults think slapping children is an unacceptable form of punishment. A third of adults think slapping childre as young as six years old is a low-risk form of punishment, with almost half of older people believing parents can hit children with no fear of any effects as distress. The Children's Society is now calling on the government to make it illegal to slap children. They say that ''children are the only group of people in the country who can be legally hit on a regular basis by other with little protection in law. Among older adults there was a hadening of views. some 46% aged over 65 said slapping children was completely acceptable, compared with 27% of those aged 18 to 24. when asked what form of behaviour by a parent would trigger their alarm, calling their child stupid and not knowing where they are at was higher up the list than slapping.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jul/08/smacking-children



slapping children on safe area's should be allowed as it is often the only way of reasoning with them. However, it should only be used as a last option. if you slap your child to much it will reduce its effectiveness. some sorts of behaviour should be punished heavier than others, like dangerous or violent behaviour. overall I think it is more interesting looking at the ''why'' rather than the ''how'' if we look at punishing.