Do you judge other peoples parenting?

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

I thought it had, perhaps I'm wrong? I tried googling it but I can't find any information.

[onthefly]

My mum always says: I was a perfect parent until I had children.

It's easy to make knee-jerk assessments of people who's situations we don't fully appreciate. I think it's just part of the way we make sense of the world - I guess the key thing is whether we take that further and 'judge'.
I don't like that I do it, but I do sometimes... and then mentally slap myself.

[sunshine_sieben]

I was a perfect parent until I had children

I love this quote. I'll have to steal it.

[Glamourcide]

I thought it had, perhaps I'm wrong? I tried googling it but I can't find any information.

I knew it was being discussed, it was all over the news for ages, I thought they ended up rejecting it by saying that there's a definite line between 'smacking' and 'beating' a child, and that it's a parents' right to use 'smacking' as discipline provided the child isn't injured, kwim??

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I think "smacking" is such an emotive word - it covers everything from "a quick tap on the hand" to "beating child senseless with kitchen implements". Whilst I'm sure you're in the "tap" end of the spectrum, Gothmum, there are others who use smacking who are not. So when we hear "smack" we're not sure where on the spectrum people are and it is worrying.

Personally, I don't judge on smack bum/tapped hand sort of thing. Because before I had DS I always thought I would smack. As it happens, we know smacking won't work with our lad. Beating senseless probably would, but we don't want to do that! Who knows what we'll do with another child? While it's something I'm glad I don't have to do with DS it's not something I would rule out wholesale necessarily - although it wouldn't be first choice.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

I agree that 'smack' isn't a good term. I thought the basis of the law change (if that is what happened, I might be wrong?) was that it prevented any potential for arguement over what is child abuse and what is discipline. If a smack is meant to cause pain, it's too much IMO but I know parents who completely disagree and say that the pain is what stops them from doing the behaviour again. When does it stop being discipline and start being abusive IYWIM?