[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by misskitty

Some do-its called child abuse.

And child abuse is a million miles away from a smack. Physical harm is categorically wrong, but no amount of rules about not smacking is going to stop child abusers who do what they do for totally different reasons - it's a bit like the difference between normal sex and rape.

Originally Posted by lancsdave

It could be argued that a tap could also be a long way from a full blown smack. I'm not trying to come across as saying that parents who smack are wrong, each to their own. I'm just suprised to see so many who say the lack of smacking relates to the lack of discipline we have in society today. I think a lot of people who we see as bad in society probably come from homes where physical punishment is the norm. They then take that in to the outside world.

I think perhaps it depends on how you define a smack Dave because to me a smack is not something that is designed to hurt a child but more of an attention grabber - sometimes a loud clap of the hands serves the same purpose, sometimes it's a tap on the back of the hand, sometimes a smack on the legs. None should cause real physical pain.