Is it ok to smack your child?
True
Medical mums
Is it ok to smack your child?
Combining parenthood with a career in medicine often presents unique challenges. Medical mums enables you to share your experiences and to learn from others who are going through similar situations first hand. Our community of medical mums post topics that you might want to discuss, but you're free to talk about any subject you like.<br /> <br /> If you want help regarding your personal situation, you can speak to the BMA on 0300 123 1233<br />
Recently the Labour MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, said that parents should be able to smack their children to instil discipline and he is calling for a re-think on smacking laws.
0
Cat:OffDutyForum:ac2e6699-a9bc-4d2d-a680-cc2d09d3be2c
Cat:OffDutyForum:ac2e6699-a9bc-4d2d-a680-cc2d09d3be2cDiscussion:0a0c4699-8d67-44fa-8366-466e15dbdbce
Forums » Off duty » Medical mums » Is it ok to smack your child?
|
Re: Is it ok to smack your child?
posted at 1/2/2012 11:22 AM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
*Moderator*
Posts: 1497
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 19/6/2013 |
The Royal College of Paediatrics have written a letter to the Daily Telegraph that claim that smacking is equivalent to "physical assault" and a "very ineffective deterrent." Presdient of the college, Terence Stephenson said that parents should adopt a "positive" approach and set stronger boundaries for their children. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9053182/Smacking-never-right-say-doctors.html Perhaps I'm not in a position to speak, as I don't have children, but I don't agree with smacking. I think there is an absurdity in David Lammy's comments that disciplining children by smacking them will prevent them from joining gangs and rioting. To suggest that letting parent thwack their children will solve deep economic and social issues is too simplistic. In fact, I think smacking has the potential to breed more violence and make it seem acceptable to use physical assault as a means to get your point accross or assert your authority/ superiority. The riots probably happened for a variety of reasons: bad communication and feeling with the police, being August, cuts, consumerist society, and many more. Personally, I can't see the Labour party reversing their decision on the smacking laws and backing Lammy on this one. That said, there's probably very fine lines between full-on smacking and a light tap to stop the child from doing something stupid like putting their hand in the fire. |
|
|
Re: Is it ok to smack your child?
posted at 1/2/2012 1:07 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 116
First: 14/9/2010 Last: 7/2/2012 |
I don't think you'll get anyone on here supporting the smacking of children. It is a dirty secret among parents, most of whom will feel terrible every time they do raise their hand to a child. It is, in the pure light of day, ridiculous to smack a child- you can''t smack an adult who is behaving in a way you dislike. But many parents do slap their kids because they lose their temper. Being a parent is unnaturally hard and children can be unnaturally challenging. Firm boundaries are what all children need and ideally these would be created without smacking. I was slapped as a child but never hard and also given a lot of love. But it is a humiliating and rubbish punishment and hard to argue it isn't best avoided and instantly regretted. |
|
|
Re: Is it ok to smack your child?
posted at 1/2/2012 3:15 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 141
First: 22/7/2009 Last: 14/2/2012 |
Depends how irritating they are. They're just sooooo needy sometimes. [is that really poor taste?] In reality I don't but hold little judgement for those that do and I know plenty. Our eldest has major tendencies towards violence so we've always refrained from reflecting that behaviour, but the other day he was messing around (very dangerously) on a major road and I couldn't control him - I didn't smack him but thought very hard about it to snap him out of it and did discuss it with the missus as a future possibility. I have some friends who smack their kids and wouldn't be overly upset if they smacked mine but I know my wife would hit the roof if somebody else did it. I think you can overanalyse these things. I think the biggest problem with this debate is the divergence of opinion on what constitutes a "smack". For some parents it's a considered tap on the bottom for really bad or dangerous behaviour, for others it's a spontaneous wallop around the head for a minor misdemeanor - big difference. As for the David Lammy comment, smacking (as I understand the word) is the very least of problems. Social services don't deal with kids with slightly red bottoms, they see kids with broken arms. |
|
|
Re: Is it ok to smack your child?
posted at 8/2/2012 3:39 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
*Moderator*
Posts: 1497
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 19/6/2013 |
Researchers have claimed that there are no long-term benefits to smacking your child, but in fact is linked with adverse consequences such as increased aggression in later life, such as spousal assault, according to authors Joan Durrant and Ron Ensom, writing in the CMAJ. Durrant and Ensom, claim that this research suggests that doctors should try to help parents find more constructive ways of providing discipline. |
Forums » Off duty » Medical mums » Is it ok to smack your child?
