Do you let your Mother/MIL smack your Children?

[Tinks]

I don't smack my children so I DON'T allow others to do so. There are better ways of disciplining than smacking.

[TwinsMummy]

my mother also has a short temper and my dad was like mum instead of my mother as she wasnt what you call a mum.... she has at time yelled and lost her cool with my children but noone other than me and their dad is to smack them ever i would go nuts.

[Indadhanu]

NO.

Well, we don't smack. My MIL wont (doesn't) smack. I worry about my parents, not that we ever spend much time with them anyway but no it isn't acceptable for them to smack her at all. There would be hell to pay if they ever did.

[*Ali*]

Nope- Not ever!

MIL & Her partner live overseas, and my kids don't spend time alone with FIL and his wife so we dont have to worry about about them- but if they ever were to spend time with them I would make my ideas on smacking extremley clear.
As I child I was very very rarely smacked, and I knew when I was that I had pushed the boundaries wayyyyyyyyy to far- Mum and dad have the kids alot, and mum has already said that she would never smack the kids as she knows that is not the way we discipline.
In all honesty I dont think that it is anyone but a parents job to discipline a child when they are present, and when your child is in the care of someone else, I think that person should follow the discipline methods that you choose as your family.

[~clover~]

My MIL has threatened my girls, which I really don't like, but has never smacked them. I really don't think she ever would.
My mum has smacked my DD's & neice. DD1 I don't remember (not even sure if she has to tell the truth), but DD2 & my neice ran off & ran across a road. I was pushing a pram & mum ran after them when they ignored us & kept running.
Thats the only time I can remember her doing it & that was purely for their safety & to hope they never do that again.

[sushee]

There is no way in hell ANYONE would be allowed to smack my kids.

[Nelle]

We smack for certain things, but we have put a great deal of thought into our reasoning behind it, and the boundaries that come with that. I am generally not okay with someone else smacking my child because they have not put as much thought into the discipline of my children as I have.
I say generally because I am close to my parents and inlaws, and have told them they can smack if my child deliberately behaves dangerously after being told not to (eg, lets go of a hand in a carpark and runs, shoves things into a powerpoint), because to me, that is not a lesson that can wait til mum and dad come to get them. I also expect to be told when this happens (not often at all, because a grandparent growl is more effective than a parent growl), and called if they're unsure about anything. We're still the boss, the grandparents are just our discipline henchmen.

Anyway. That is not something that most will agree with, and I'm sure there will be people who think badly of me and can't comprehend the thought and care we put into the discipline of our children, especially when we originally thought we wouldn't choose to smack, but I wanted to contribute my different viewpoint.

On the side - if you don't smack, obviously you you've thought about it and have your reasons for that, so if you're not comfortable with your mother smacking (especially when your experience is that she can lack self-control), my personal thought would be not to let it slide.

[Rouge]

AWESOME Nelle I think thats the whole point, its not about whether you would smack or not, its about whether you are comfortable with it or not that needs to be addressed. And for me to answer that question, I wouldn't allow anyone to do anything to or with my child if I were not comfortable with it, no matter what the relationship was.

Nelle stop being so awesome or my head might explode

[smiles4u]

My having come from an abusive Mother ... as a child i would be slapped across the face, smacked in the mouth, hair pulled & her long hard finger nails dug into my wrist until they bleed ... Yes, then there was plain old smacking ... So, to ask would i or my Mum or MIL smack my beautiful & precious daughter whom is now nearly 3 who took me 2.5years to conceive ... no way would i let alone anyone else punish her or discipline her through physical hurt or emotional fear over another way/form of doing so ... that's just me & i wouldn't judge another parent for their actions as we ALL have our different ways of parenting and reasons for smacking or not smacking (as Nelle mentioned earlier) ... but for me to ' allow ' my Mum or MIL to smack my DD it would be unthinkable for me, would shatter me as a Mother

[Papillon]

I say generally because I am close to my parents and inlaws, and have told them they can smack if my child deliberately behaves dangerously after being told not to (eg, lets go of a hand in a carpark and runs, shoves things into a powerpoint), because to me, that is not a lesson that can wait til mum and dad come to get them. I also expect to be told when this happens (not often at all, because a grandparent growl is more effective than a parent growl), and called if they're unsure about anything. We're still the boss, the grandparents are just our discipline henchmen.

This is actually an aspect of our agreement with inlaws/grandparents.. when i posted earlier i just couldn't think of the best way to explain it. Anything i typed looked wrong so i didn't bother lol. But how you have put it, is exactly how and why we will allow smacking by them ONLY for those reason's... cause as you said, some lesson's need to be learnt then and there and are too important to worry about who's!

But i also agree, smacking is not for everyone at all and neither is right or wrong!

We are all doing the best we can with what we have!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I don't smack, because I don't need to (and DS loves having his bum hit). If ANYONE, no matter who, EVER hit my child for WHATEVER reason then I'd wallop them one. And I have a mean left hook.

My parents smacked, but they were the only ones allowed to do so. My mother's little sister is a prize one, she really is, and she hit me once. My Dad saw and walloped her back. That's the stance I would take regardless of if I smacked or not.

Mum wouldn't smack anyway, she's seen how other methods work (both with me when I was little and with DS) so knows it isn't needed. MiL... chance would be a fine thing! She doesn't like DS (or me, or whatever, I'm beyond caring) so never sees him so I don't know what her policy would be if she ever responded to our begging for her to play with DS for up to half an hour as I am physically unable. FiL does if I'm hospitalised and is great with DS, but it is for VERY short periods of time only and DS is very well-behaved with him as he doesn't know him too well.

[aussienic]

both my mother and MIL have smacked (lightly) my children. I can't stand it. I dn't know why I can't stand anyone else disciplining my kids. My own mum is ok.. but when MIL does it I get my back up.

I drew the line when she smacked my 9 month old DD cus she grabbed her glasses. poor DD who had never had a smack before (due to her young age) just cried and cried. I took her and said.. Well wasn't that just a bit mean and walked off..

I try to limit smacking in the house but sometimes we use it.. We use it heaps less then we used to.. We find now just saying.. right get to your room is enough..

but in answering the actual question.. Yes my Mother and MIL have smacked my children.. I don't like it and if I felt it wasn't neccessary I say so..

[Ilithyia]

WOW!

I am quite suprised by the response!

I honestly thought that most people would be like me and not have a big issues with them smacking the kids. It seems I was completely wrong!

You've all definately made me think twice about the issue thats for sure!

[Ilithyia]

Was just thinking...Someone mentioned (can't remeber who) other famliy members smacking them as children.

This bring up another issue for me. As a child I was smacked by a lot of different people. Uncles, auties, family friends etc. Makes me wonder if this is the reason for my blazeness when it comes to smacking.

HOWEVER..I would definately not let anyone else smack the girls. And just like most of you, if anyone smacked my girls they would really regret it!

[Doing my best]

We don't smack DD unless she bites (a full on bite to get her own way, which she has picked up from somewhere). She bit my niece at Xmas time, but by the time I got there, it was a few minutes and I couldn't chastise her for it..

So I have advised my mother/SIL/MIL who sometimes have her without me in arms reach that we smack her on the hand when she bites, and they need to do the same if they catch her doing it..

I know that some will disagree with this method, but I am answering the question honestly..

[helle]

I was rarely smacked as a kid, but when I was it was because I had crossed that line and I never repeated the same mistake twice.

I don't have any kids yet, but I believe sometimes kids just need a smack, especially with things associated with danger - EG, when a 2 year old is walking towards a road, whether there is traffic coming or not, and doesn't listen to you when you call for them, then I would smack. IMO A red bum is far less worse than them being potentially hit by a car and they need to learn that when they are told to do something they have to do it, because it may be very dangerous otherwise.

If I was to leave my children with my mum/dad or MIL/FIL (who I know have the same idea's as myself) I would trust their judgement when it comes to disapline and I know smacking would be used only in approriate situations and not as abuse.
At the end of the day they bought myself and DF up and being smacked as kids as not harmed or caused us any emotional damage as adults.

As for "fighting" or hitting my parents back. WHOA! No way, I have way to much respect for my parents to even consider doing that to them. (Or myself!)

[krysalyss]

If I am present then I deal with any situations so there would never be a need for my mum or MIL to 'guide' DS so to speak if I am also there. If they are babysitting him then I expect them to as much as possible to give him the same treatment that DH and I do. We absolutely don't smack and there is no way they would smack him either. If they did, I would definitely say something because I am firmly against smacking. But I don't think they would anyway.

[~Saram~]

My God no! I'm lucky my mu is not a smacker not even on the hand. MIL is although she knows NEVER to try that I my kids, we had a very heated discussion on this when I was pg with DS and I witnised her smacking my SIL child on the hand (who strangely enough hit her back - go figure?) Mind you when I'm with my kids I always remain in control of any discipline that needs to happen ... and honestly I think DH family may be a little scared of me and my ranting :-)