Would you spank your child in public?

[mamadadawahwah]

Just thinking about another thread, that this one is a natural offshoot from it. I see moms hitting, and i mean "hitting" their kids in public. LIttle ones, teenagers, etc. Not tap on the shoulder but whacks across the legs. Wont say where I live but lets say its kinda rough. Whats it like where you live?

No. I don't smack anyway (or haven't so far).

Have seen children smacked quite hard whilst out and about and I have to say that it really bothers me.

Whilst in Florida this summer with my family we saw a dad hit his child (aged about 10 or so) very very hard round the shoulders and upper back. It was so hard we heard it from a fair distance away. It made me feel sick. His mother was mortified and the father just laughed.

i dont spank my children at all. i see others do it in public quite a lot and i always think the emabarrasment hurts the child more than the spank

my dad spanked me daily, more than once a day at times for next to nothing reasons and ill never forget how i hated it, and him

Personally I would never hit/smack my daughter and would have serious issues with anyone else who did.

Wow, florida. I know that the states has major nanny state flu these days and some states you will be prosecuted and your kids hauled away for smacking. I hope somebody smacks that lousy example of a dad, big time.

It appeared to shock a lot of peple over there. A lot of people heard it and just turned and stared. Lots of very mumbled comments directed at the dad, who appeared to find it amusing. The mother and son were mortified. No idea if they were American or not though.

He probably "smacked" the poor mother as well. God help her.

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In saying that, however, i was out with my mate and her three kids, one of which is mad mad mad. He bolts at a moments notice and will deliberately try and drive his mom nuts. You know the type. She smacked him lightly on the bum in boots one day, and a lady said to her, "its a criminal offence" to smack your child. We told her to mind her own business.

A fair bit of it goes on in the supermarkets or sandpit etc in our local park. A slap, say.
Really horrid, and apart from the poor child being hit, I hate DS seeing it, too.
It seems to be built in to the Mums 'normal' behaviour.
I know if I said something there would be a torrent of 'mind your own business' abuse, and the result would as likely to be negative as positive.
If it was out of control kicking or punching I'd call the police staight away.

But I suspect that it isn't that uncommon, even nowadays. I have certainly seen children smacked in public on a number of occasions. Too vary degrees of hardness, sand with/wothout shouting, etc. to go along with it. It always saddens me.

Well, no, I'd intervene, and have done on one occasion. (for kicking)

Mamadadawhawah!!!!
You see!
While I was posting about why i wouldn't say anything, you were rpoving me right

Mamadadawhawah!!!!
You see!
While I was posting about why i wouldn't say anything, you were rpoving me right

Unfortunately hubby works for social services and I see both sides of stories. He has seen kids being dragged through hell because of "snitchers" and of course he has seen kids rescued from the hell of bad parents/guardians.

If i saw someone really beating up a child I think i would become a detective and follow them home and then do something about it, maybe call the cops, maybe rap their door (along with a hefty friend) and say, i saw what you did, as a concerned citizen, I want to warn you that I have every right to phone the police about the abuse you heaped on that child. Now, we can talk about your options or i can call the police now.

Ya ya, i know this is dangerous. But i had a friend who was beat to death by his father when he was 14 and I just couldnt besmurch his memory by watching it happen to someone else.

hi
i dont smack as such but ds is 15mths and have tapped his hand if something is dangerous..as he is too young to fully understand the implications of trying to throw stuff on fire etc..(yes i do have a firguard but there is a gap where he tries to throw things on and it open flame. I dont like seeing kiddies smacked etc especisally when it tends to be for silly things like just being a kid...in some areas around my home it does happen a lot and in others it doesnt..TBH where it does happen is the rougher areas not saying posher people dont smack but maybe they do it more behind doors...i know my mum certainly did and it was enough to scare me while out

I remember seeing an enormous bloke who resembled a giant Phil Mitchell, thump a tiny little boy, maybe 2 years old, in a supermarket, so hard that the boy flew across the aisle and knocked down a display. The dad walked off swearing while the little one sat there and bawled his eyes out. We went and picked him up and he was so upset. The dad came back and hauled him off by his arm. I dreaded to think what he'd do to him when he got him home. I've never forgotten it or the sense of ridiculous cowardly bullying that that man was capable of.

mummylonglegs (sorry for hijack) how are you? any news on your brother?

Crossed posts with you mamadadawahwah, I've often wished I'd followed that man I mentioned or said something to him. I wasn't even pregnant at that point though and it was before smacking was a 'criminal offence' so I was kind of out of my depth.

that's awful mummylonglegs- poor little boy- lucky for him that you were there.
I wonder if his mummy knew what his father did? I've told dh that he'll be x-h if he smacks dd

Mummy, they are out there. Right this minute, some poor god forsaken child is being smacked across a living room into a fireplace, or is being murdered. I think if you can protect your own safety (cause that comes first) we should make it our business to protect a child from being abused.