Does anyone still ‘agree’ with smacking in 2019?

[BlueMoon1103]

Really honestly curious about this, does anyone still smack their children and think it’s the right thing to do? If so what are your reasons?

Please don’t comment having a go at other peoples’ parenting, I just want to hear more about ‘stricter’ parenting styles as they seem to have gone out of fashion so let’s keep it respectful.

Both I and my sister were smacked as children. It was always done when my parents had lost control complete with emotional abuse. I am sad to say that I spent most of my childhood wishing I could go and live with my Nan and Grandpa.

I work with traumatised and abused children and teenagers. I have managed to successfully implement boundaries around negative behaviour without resorting to smacking and these are not compliant children. Personally I think smacking is lazy parenting even when done with warnings etc.

It's illegal where I live, thank goodness

I will never smack. My husband would I think but he knows if he did it’s the end of family and marriage. It’s something I won’t compromise on. Ever.

I don't have kids, but I do believe in smacking.

I did it once to DS1 when he was 3. We were leaving a park and he bumped into a friend who was going to the cafe for an ice cream. So he wanted to do that as well, and when I said we couldn't as we had to get home, he lay on the floor in the dirt and leaves by the gate and had a tantrum. He used to have the most spectacular tantrums that involved 30-45 minutes of kicking and screaming before he fell asleep from exhaustion. I usually largely left him to it when they started (no amount of talking, soothing, attempts to cuddle helped – you would just be kicked/pushed away as he flailed around). But I couldn't wait as we had to get home very soon for an important delivery. I was six months pregnant and it was very hot, and I couldn't carry him, thrashing away, to the bus stop. So I smacked him on the hand.

Weirdly, he immediately stopped tantrumming, calmed down and after a couple of minutes of cuddles, walked nicely with me to the bus stop. I think it basically stopped his hysteria.

That was the only time: I don't like smacking in general and think it is rubbish as discipline, but to this day I am amazed at how effective it was in those circumstances and even now I don't know what I could have done differently. He doesn't remember it. I have never smacked DS2.

I grew up in a country where any form of physical discipline was illegal. Still happened to most kids.

SweetPetrichor I don't have kids, but I do believe in smacking.

I'm intrigued now, SP. Who do you like to smack or to smack you? :-)