Smacking Children, The Debate in the UK: Let's Educate Parents Rather Than Ban Physical Reprimanding of Children

Each year 80 children die in the UK from abuse. When you smack your children are you contributing to violent attacks on children?

Children’s rights campaigners argue that the UK laws, dating from the 1860’s are out dated and allowing parents to smack is helping people defend violence against children. The law allows the “reasonable chastisement” of children. What is “reasonable”?

Is it reasonable to hit your child and leave a mark? The law dictates if we smack we cannot leave a mark. As a mother myself I do not physically punish my children, however this is the only form of punishment my mother chose to use. This lead to me having no fear of missing out on trips or being grounded, just to dread going home. I think practical parenting means you don’t need to be aggressive, just in control.

Furthermore it is now against the law for a teacher to hit their pupils, yet in most cases this doesn’t affect their ability to keep order in the class room. Prior to 1988, teachers were allowed to smack, cain and use various forms of physical punishment in the name of discipline. Since the change in the law teachers now use less aggressive forms of discipline, with no loss of respect or control. The use of time outs and detentions is a good way to deter children from disruptive and negative behaviour. This coupled with an explanation of why they are in trouble tells a child what they have done and time to think about it.

However, with 20 years under our belts, of the law saying that you can only hit your own child and not leave a mark, why do 60% parents still beat children under the guise of educating them? This has become a controversial form of punishment, with many aspects such as class, culture and age splitting people’s...

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...se children no matter if we ban it or not. When surveyed 71% of us said we would like a clear definition in the law, not a total ban. I agree, the best way forward has got to be through re-education for all of us, teaching us how to mould our kids’ behaviour without violence.

So instead of campaigning for a total ban on smacking that would be impossible to enforce, turning thousands of us into criminals and solving nothing, let’s campaign for better education for parents. This job has no formal training, so if we forget the fact we seem to think we should just know how to cope and remember, children live what they learn. As the most important figure in your child’s life, praise, shape and nurture them, hopefully then they will follow your example and learn self control, passing on this wisdom and reducing the harm done to children in generations to come.