[derekgas]

If that is your most memorable incident polly, you have had a sheltered life, and your kids are naturally (if there is such a thing) well behaved, I know as a fact that, a smack on the hands or legs works, removing privaleges doesnt work, we had 2 children aged 4 and 5 who, when I lived in a flat, were banging on a single glazed window which was 8 feet wide and 5 foot high with a 15 feet drop on the other side, I slapped them both on the leg hard, (a knee jerk reaction to the fact my heart was in my mouth), one of them later had a bruise on thier leg (and we still dont knw if it was the smack), the nursery called social services, I was threatened with prosecution unless I said they would not be smacked again, so I agreed, they never went near the window again, and rather that than I find them on the ground because of a lack of action, but the overriding factor is this, these kids are now problematic, we have tried everything ss have suggested, and they just simply will not behave with any consistency (especially the child the ss were brought in for), oh, and the ss said 'children should not be smacked, you should explain the situation to them', I said 'which part of dont bang on that window darling because if it breaks, you will fall out of it and die, do you think a 4 year old will understand?' as it happened, I KNEW they would not do it again, even though I regret having smacked them so hard, it WORKED!