Would you ever hit a.... CHILD???

No I do not BEAT my children, but have they had a spanking from time to time, yes, but never to the point of leaving a mark on them and never hard enough to do anything other than get their attention. Part of what is wrong with children today is they have no consequences for wrong doing, do I think a child should be beat, no but a parent should be able to make the decision to spank a child if the time arises to do so. I was spanked as a child and well I was not damaged for life as a result, but I did learn that I had to listen to my parents and obey them as a result. Which I did, I was not spanked often as I learned my lesson.

Spanking and beating are two different things

Now as far as a teacher/babysiter etc, they better not lay a hand on my child, that is my child and I would be livid if this was my daughter. To leave a mark on a child is wrong, even if you are the parent.

It's sad to think that anyone would hit a child, but those are probably the same people that see spanking a child's bare bottom a suitable form of punishment. Why? I know if I ever had a kid and they got in trouble for whatever reason, I wouldn't hit them, I would tell them to take responsibility for their actions. That way at least the punishment fits, they don't get traumatized, and they learn responsibility at a young age.

I'm not a parent yet, but I am an aunt. And I would NEVER hit my nieces, or any child for that matter. It makes me mad just to think that someone might hit a child. I just don't understand why people would do this sort of thing. Yes, children are mischievous at times, as you have said. Yes, it has happened that I found my nieces a little annoying, when I babysat them. But I never thought of hitting my nieces, or any child I babysat, when they got mischievous, or annoying, or anything like that. I find that it's just sickening that people might do this sort of thing.

I am a primary school teacher and in my home country it is illegal for teachers to hit a child. If that happened I would lose my job and the police would get involved. I wouldn't ever hit a child even if it was allowed. I want to teach children to read, write and add up not to violent. Young children learn by example and a teacher should be a positive role model. If children are scared their teacher might hit them they will be nervous. If a child doesn't understand something he or she might be too frightened to ask for help. In my days as a secondary school pupil the head teacher did hit some of the students that was when it was legal. I feel sorry for the three year old girl you mention. I think that her mother should complain to the school. I keep children in detention at the very worst. I try to catch them being good and then praise them to build their self esteem. I have sticker charts and give rewards when the child gets 5 or 10. I am a parent and both my children are well behaved. I find language helps them be good.

That teacher is just plain wrong and needs to be punished for what she did. I have 4 kids and we are expecting our 5th and last child here in about a month. I do not hit/spank whatever my children at all. There are other ways to correct a child but hitting is not one of them all that teaches a child is that that kind of behavior is ok and it is not ok to hit ever I dont care like I said I dont do it my kids or any one elses kids and my kids have turned out just fine so far.

OMG!!

I'd be down at that school so fast that teachers head would be spinning!

No way would I ever hit a child and would never allow anyone else to hit one of mine..

There are other ways of correcting a childs behavivor than hitting. That makes me mad just to thing about it. I have raised two, one is 37 now and one is 22, so I have some experience in that area. They are both very responsible and productive in his and her life and I am very proud of them both.

Thanks for the disscusion!
moon

i don't have a child yet at the moment... but i will spank my child if i have to every now and then to discipline him/her... and i will only use it as a very last resort if the child is really uncontrollable... i disagree with your statement that say "a child is meant to be loved and only loved"... not in my opinion... that's why we can see a lot of spoilt child nowadays... love should be balanced with justice... so i think spanking the child every now and then is OK... but of course not beating until leaving a permanent mark on the child... i will never do that... take care and have a nice day...

I feel that words are much stronger than a slap. If a parent cant control their child with words, then i dont feel that they are fit to be parents. All slapping a child does is show that the parent has lost it and needs a way to release that anger. The child needs to learn that you need to control yourself when your mad at someone, which they will not be doing if you hit them. You dont want your child hitting people that theyre mad at, do you?

I am not a parent but I have spanked many children and I do not expect to stop any time soon. I will explain but fisrt I would like to point out to you that their is a difference between spanking and beating. Spanking is a few swats that hurt the child's feelings and not necissarily thier body whereas a beating leaves bruises and should also lead to child protective services.

I will now tell you the reasons I have spanked the children I have spanked:
My nephew is 4 now, last year he spent a month at my home and although he knows that he is not allowed in the kitchen when cooking is going on he would repeatedly leave the carpeted area that is my dining room and enter my very small kitchen space. The day I spanked him for that was a day I had been cooking more than usual and he reached his hand up to the stove. I was able to stop him from burning himself, but tired of having to tell him over and over. He knows what no means and I spanked him and put him in time out.

I have a cousin that I watched when he was very small (3) at the time I was also bottle feeding a baby goat. My cousin grabbed this goat by the hair on its back and practically threw it across the room. I spanked him for being mean to an animal, and put him in time out.

I think that spanking should be a last resort but if a child is not listening and their actions are putting them or others in danger then YES, spank them and put them in time out becuase you have to get their attention.

I would rather spank a child to prevent something major than try to reason with a person that cannot reason. If you spank a child that runs out into the street then they will think twice before running into the street again.

I personally would never spank a child maybe slap their hand like what my mom did to us when we were little...but I believe that NO teacher has the right to hit a child or physically do anything to a child. That is completely wrong. I am not a parent but if my kid came home and told me that a teacher laid a hand on him/her I would be at that school so fast they wouldn't know what to think. The most a teacher should do to discipline is to put the child in a time out or something to that affect.