It makes me cringe everytime I hear someone say 'or I am going to smack you' or ' do you want me to smack you'. or anything to those lines.

I have just realised that just about everyone I know IRL smacks there child or children. One mum who I worked with who I thought was so much like me in everything about parenting made a comment the other week 'he just knows we are out and I wont smack his bum here' I was very taken back, I really thought she was a gentl parenting mum.

I had a conversation with a very close friend about it and she got defensive and so we don't talk about that at all anymore. I just wanted to let my thoughts out and here is a good place to get some understanding.

What must be going through a childs head when their parent threatens them with smacking, with violence? I don't get it how anyone could really want to cause harm to your child. When they hurt themselves a parent can be so quick to soothe and comfort and yet cause them pain at other times with no soothing or comfort.

Like I said, just my thoughts that are swimming around my head that I need to get out. Yes I should just worry about how I parent and worry about my kids. I just feel alone in that I am the only one that will never hit my children.

I think this also comes from the fact that while I was on my holiday my mum admitted that she smacked DD1 on the bottom and instantly regretted it and felt bad. I was angry at first because she knows we don't smack. I have moved on from now but made it very clear it should never ever happen again.

Sorry for the ramble.