What year exactly, did it become socially unacceptable to swat backsides? About the same time the youth of today went to hell.

[FastWindow]

A tap on the hand /paw stops a child/puppy eating stones.

Honestly, you can't beat your kids. But you can't leave them go feral for lack of boundaries either.

When 'No, Tarquin, please don't poke your baby sister in the eye again' doesn't work, or 'that tiny pebble will do your digestive system no good at all, darling' has zero effect, tell me why a quick seat of the hand is going to land me in jail?

Loose boundaries land kids in jail. (thread title right there)

Have you got nothing better to think about at 4am? YABU, go to sleep!

There are a huge number of studies that show smacking can do incredible psychological harm. There can be effective discipline without hitting a child.

Honestly, you can't beat your kids. But you can't leave them go feral for lack of boundaries either.

Correct. And correct.

Thread closed.

Grumple, I'll alert the authorities.

Andthisistrue - it's 4am for some.

Missed a :) for grumple

I don't think the youth of today are going to hell any more than the youth of yesterday did, or the youth of a hundred years ago, or the youth of a thousand years ago.

In fact there are records of ancient Greeks bemoaning the same thing.

True karbon - Plato bemoaned 'the youth' but I doubt he was facing the knife, drug, and social media narcissistic culture we are and the frankly terrifying consequences. Do you live in a town centre you are comfortable with walking around about after dark?

Isn't it always 4am for someone? Just a thought.

Hitting children doesn't make a difference. In places with the death penalty there's still just as many crimes...

I live in London, and teach some amazing and wonderful teenagers in a state comp in a "deprived" area, and walk around after dark all the time. i don't have a car, so I have to. I don't always want to or like it, but don't think I am in any more danger from young people than I am from old people.

My first biscuit. I'll gracefully retire.

Be assured, I do not beat my dc!

Well, it isn't the 'Tarquins' we have to worry about, is it?

No elder it's the parents of the youth of today -

I'm rethinking my point. I think it's the parents who need a well placed hand now.

If you're going to try to be provocative can't you come up with something a bit more original?

Back in the day I smacked my dd and do not think it is the end of the world, however smacking isn't the solution. I remember seeing a neigbhour severely smack her child for something trivial and thinking what do you do then if they do something serious.

Your Tarquin example is the same problem but the reverse side of it, by their actions both types of parents are not showing children that some things are a bit naughty while other things are totally unacceptable. There are no grades in discipline or lack of discipline, everything is either a slap or shrug.

I worked in a prison. Most of the inmates had been smacked until they were black and blue by their parents. Also given drugs at a young age, not sent to school, not fed properly, not taken to the drs, not taught to care for themselves...

I am always struck (pardon the pun) by the irony of parents who whack their children in response to physical misdemeanours! Like it's ok for grown ups but not kids.

Hitting a child is always more about the parents anger than a considered method of discipline. How many people (of those that hit), take time out to consider it and then smack? Say, an hour or two later? It's always done in the heat of the moment and is lazy parenting-other methods are clearly too difficult for the parent to administer (taking away electronics, sending to bed early, removing a planned day out etc).

Oh the youth of today...much like the youth of yesterday.
Yes I'd walk around after dark and the youth of today - some are bad, most are good. Bit like always.

Of course there are many great young people. But as a child growing up in a very poor area, nobody was ever murdered in the street, The same area and they are now. Yes it is small numbers, but that level of extreme violence did not happen.

I quite like the youth of today.

The ones I encounter all seem pretty much OK.

Why only smack or wet lettucing and naught in between?

I did lots of block/parry with forearm or leg, lifting child out of a scene and so on; things like go home if behaviour at toddler group awful

No smacking or ineffectual bleating

You can smack child on the bottom or the hand. It isn't illegal.

If you beat them until they are bruised - assault.

A swift skelp to the bum - ok.

Next question?

I never tapped/swatted my puppy and he's still managed to learn to behave.

Why do people always think that hitting kids is the only punishment, it isn't you know. You get this all the time,'you stop hitting kids, they go feral'. It's rubbish.

We never hit, I won't soften it by calling it smacking, our children. If they were badly behaved they had appropriate punishment that fitted the crime. It's not hard to think of one. Loss of treats etc. They didn't grow up lawless, they're lovely.

Not all youth are going to hell!

Some of today's youth are much nicer,kinder and more polite than a lot of adults that roam the Earth!

Our children will keep doors open for people,say please and thank you.The older 3 help when they see someone struggling to get a pram or pushchair up or down stairs,they'll hold a lift door open for others.Offer to help our elderly or ill neighbors with they're shopping,gardening,walking they're dogs ect.

All 5DC help out they're Grandad every week with walking the dogs,cleaning the house,doing the garden.

They've all raised money for charity off they're own backs,they're own idea.

Our 2 eldest were commended 2 years ago by the Police because they stopped a gang from robbing a pensioner when she'd just withdrawn her money from the bank.
Busy Saturday in Town,lots of people saw,not one adult tried to help her!They were 14 and 17 years old.

Oldest DS,stopped a women from being beaten to death last year(he was 18) by a drug addict,the addict was 30 years old and the women was 26.He also went to court twice to stand as a witness as the Police were desperate to get a conviction and the women was to scared to attend court.

The youth that aren't growing up so well right now are usually the one's that not only get a smack they're beaten pretty much every day by they're feckless parents!Not fed,have no boundaries and are raising themselves pretty much.I've worked in schools and with SS and with Surestart.Scratch under the surface and these kids could all grow up to be amazing young adults if only they had real parents raining them and not the soulless twats that a lot of them have to live with!

My Mum always said she'd choose children and animals over most of the adults on this planet any day.I think she had it spot on!