To smack or not to smack

[delphmoon]

I could never ever hit my son. I personally dont believe in smacking at all. Prior to having a child, I actually thought yes that smacking was perfectly fine and thought that maybe more children should be smacked if it would teach them a thing or two and put them into line! Omg how absolutely off and wrong I was! Not having a child I didn't understand the love, connection, responsibility & trust between a parent and child. I could never ever use physical force against my son, my heart just couldn't do it plus it is so obvious why it is ineffective (all it causes the child is to fear, feel unsafe and resent/withdrawal or become more defiant). To me it is abuse. And it is very bad role modelling too. Parents need to lead by example and smacking is no different.

Yep- absolutely.

I personally think it is frustration that makes a parent smack their child and not the belief that they are actually 'teaching' their child something. I also think that smacking a baby or toddler is questionable...what are you actually trying to communicate?

DH agreed that he wouldn't feel comfortable smacking any of his children and felt that maybe I expected him to because he is the 'man of the house'...This just goes to show how smacking your children can affect them later in life..DH was associating 'discipline' with smacking and smacking with 'being in control'. Anyway.. we discussed alternatives like time out, distraction techniques and foreseeing possible issues before they occur.