Light slap to child - wrong or not?

[yesitsme2015]

Today, I was on the bus, and a lady got on with her children, 1 of which was in a pushchair.

The child threw a drinks bottle at her - ok, not nice, but the child was only about 1. She then slapped the child lightly across the face.

I was disgusted, but accordingly to law, ''The Children’s Act 2004 makes it illegal to hit a child if it causes bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches and this is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.''

It was only a light slap, which wouldnt of caused a mark to be left - am I being unreasonable thinking this is wrong?!

As it seems the law thinks its fine!

Legal in England and Wales anyway. I think in Scotland it's illegal to smack a child in the face.

Any sort of hitting a child is wrong to a degree in my eyes. For instance a friend of mine once lightly tapped (and it was only a tap) her child's hand after repeated telling her toddler not to touch the plug socket and that it was 'burny' this didn't make me feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Her lo didn't even react to it, however hitting a child for being naughty in this instance is vile and should defiantly be punishable. For me personally I would never hit, tap, slap my child, however when I was younger I was ever so lightly slapped for extremely misbeahving behaviour and I don't begrudge my parents in the slightest in fact I couldn't have gotten better parents. I think times have changed and people have learned of different ways of dealing with a child misbehaving.

I was caned nearly every day at school and it never did me any harm but even then it was forbidden to hit anyone around the face for the very good reason that you risk doing last damage.

I smacked my dd but she doesn't smack hers and though I don't think I did my dd any psychological damage, I think I was wrong.