The issue about hitting kids has always been an easy one for me.

[davidthegnome]

70. Hmm

There's a good bit of difference between someone who spanks their children, and someone who actually slaps them, punches them, pulls their hair or kicks them. There's also quite a difference between a slap on the hand and a beating with a stick. As a child, I got spanked a few times, I have one clear memory of being slapped upside the head and one of being slapped across the face. When it comes to that kind of physical discipline, I don't think it did either of us any good. It gave me a fear of my father, and gave him a guilty conscience for doing it. Of course, he was raised with a hell of a lot more discipline than I was.

My dad never beat the crap out of me. Not like some other kids in the neighborhood I knew. He learned his methods from his own Father and it was basically that "spare the rod and spoil the child" mentality. Many years later... we're both convinced that that's absolutely the wrong way to do things.

There are many, many ways in which to discipline a child without physically hurting them. Considering my own experience, I'm not going to judge a parent for spanking their children. I don't agree with it as a method of discipline, as I think it's actually counter-productive and can lead to psychological issues - but it's not my business, either. Yet when a parent goes beyond that, to leave their children with bruises, cuts, or worse... something needs to be done. The difference is obvious.

It's something of a slippery slope when it comes to legislating every particular. For instance, there are parents with children who have severe behavioral issues, even to the point of biting, kicking, punching, or otherwise attacking their parents or siblings. There are methods for proper restraint, but very few parents know these. Most, I suspect, would physically restrain their children using inappropriate methods, perhaps even spank them or push them away. It can be extremely difficult for those particular parents to manage, particularly if they are poorly educated, living in poverty, or had abusive parents themselves.

I certainly don't know all the answers to this one, but I do agree that there is no excuse nor justification for beating a small child out of your own anger and frustration.