Smacking referendum

It just seems crazy/scary/sad to me that people are fighting so passionately for the right to hit their kids

I don't get why people are upset about the govt telling us what to do. They are elected in to power to be the decision makers and its their job to make, amend or over turn laws dependant upon what society dictates as acceptable social behaviour. There are laws that say you can't kill someone, you would think that would be common sense and most people won't do it be the law is still there. The laws are our moral code and morally it is wrong to hit children. The govt aren't telling you how to parent they are just telling you that hitting a child is now against the law because under the previous law it wasn't. (or at least the lines were blurred).
I agree that a gentle smack on the hand during a tense moment when you react to bat the hand away from danger shouldn't be a crime, but I also don't think a smack on the hand just because you have told the child 5 times already not to touch whatever it is is neceassary and there is a clear distinction between immediate danger and a reaction to it than to a percieved danger where other methods can be used.

Also remember only 300,000 people signed the petition which means far more people of voting age didn't so surely that means the majority of people are happy with the law as it stands.

The thing about this that irks me seriously, is the fact that people are saying "well it's laws like that that make it mean you can't discipline your kid, they can do whatever they like, no wonder kids are so terrible these days." blah blah blah

What a load of trash.   Again not meaning to sound self righteous at all, but out of my girls, who have never been hit - compared to a few others i know, including my nieces and nephews etc that have been brought up with that form of discipline for the nuaghty stuff. I can safely say, my girls tend to be more curteous to others, tends not to use violence to get their own ways in tussles with each other (not too often anyway) or their friends. and certainly are more polite and well behaved. so that's a huge load of bull, it's not about how many times you hit them, it's how much you're willing to work at solving the problem.   Hitting might stop them for 2 seconds, but they won't learn, they might learn that "if i touch this i will get hit" but they won't learn "If i touch this it's not safe for me" hence the earlier comment about learning to self-regulate behaviour.     My older sister had always been like this with her kids and has always kinda been on at them step by step by step constantly telling them this and that.     And hello, at 13 and 11, If you ask them to get ready to go out, or to do something, you still now have to give them blow by blow instructions and stand there and make sure they do it every step of the way.... my kids i can ask to get ready and they know this means for example to ge their jackets and hats on, get their shoes and sock and put them on, choose a toy to take in the car, Paris will often go and shut the windows for me without being asked etc.     Working together with mutual respect goes faaaaaaar further, teaching them to make the right decisions in life, in regards to all choices, and in regards to thinking about the choices they made about their behaviour - teaches them to really think about the consequences of their actions, and teaches them to be independant, without the worry of "if i don't do this mummy will get mad at me and give me a smack"

What Roksana said is right - the majority of ones that aren't worried about the petition are the ones that would only use a little tap to aler ttheir child to the danger etc, because they know that in that situation no sensible person is going to say " how dare you grab that childs arm and yank them back before they ran out onto the road full of cars". The ones that are afraid of the law are the ones that smack far too regularly, think that's the only way to get their child to do what whey want it to do, and who are afraid that to learn new ways to parent and work with their kids.

Edited by mum2paris

I am with Janine, hitting kids dont make them learn and also doesnt make them respect their parents but fear them.

Z is also very well behaved and polite...well every one aways says she is...and that because since she was little we have been teaching her Right and wrong! She know that Oven/ Heater/stove etc is HOT so she never touchs it...I dont ever recall hitting her hand for trying to touch! May be I am lucky that she listens but I fee she respects us and I Know for sure she doesnt fear us! I wouldnt want it any other way!!