It is important that children learn how to behave and control their own
behaviour as they get older. Parents have a very important job as a role model
for their children in helping them to learn how to do this.
Teaching children from a young age by setting limits and explaining reasons for
these limits helps to instill self-discipline. Smacking, which controls your
child from the outside, has no long-lasting positive effect. In fact smacking
usually has to increase in severity in order to have the same impact on your
growing child. This is where the thin line between smacking and hitting can be
crossed.
Have you ever smacked your child? The answer from many parents reading this
will be yes. Every parent experiences frustration with his or her child at
various times. It is at these times that a parent may smack in the heat of the
moment, but this is an outlet for the parent's frustration, rather than a
helpful way of influencing the child's behaviour.
However, simply because lots of people may have smacked their children does not
mean it is the best way to punish your child or ensure good behaviour. Those
who say smacking is acceptable have argued that it is not harmful in the long
term and is the most immediate form of discipline. It is much more helpful and
safer to notice and reward your child's positive behaviours, to encourage the
behaviours you want.
The numbers of parents who smack their children is decreasing and lots of those
who continue often do so because they are not sure that other methods will
work.
In this society parents are not allowed to physically harm their children
regardless of any individual, cultural or religious justification. As a result,
child protection professionals will assess incidents of physical ill treatment
of
children, in order that they can understand, prevent and explain the
consequences of further incidents.
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