ANSWERS: 48
  • I think that the current law can already be interpreted to this effect. However, draconian measures such as introducing a specific law against this would not necessarily solve the problems involved with the physical abuse of children by their parents through "spanking". I believe that it is important to try and fix and strengthen families and their bonds rather than directly punish parents who are likely to just be imitating their own disciplining as children.
  • There are already laws that protect against child abuse. Any spanking considered excessive would fall into this category. As a libertarian, I cannot support laws that allow the government to interfere in family matters any more than they currently do.
  • I would do it anyway. No one will tell me how to discipline my child. He doesnt require a lot of spanking because he is a good child but if he does do something after Ive told him repeatedly not to I will spank him.
  • Call me old fashioned, but when all else fails a spanking usually works. Years ago, when children were sure to get their "britches dusted" for certain behaviors, it usually made them think twice before doing it. There are more and more crimes committed by children these days. I agree that abuse sometimes causes more abuse, but a parent who would abuse their child does not love them. Spanking is not abuse, it is discipline, and when talking to a child does not work, and is the only consequence for unacceptable behavior, it will continue and most of the time will grow worse. If a couple of swats on the bottom with your hand will deter a child and let them know that there are real consequences and may help to prevent more serious problems when they are older...I am all for it.
  • Stupid. Children are belligerent. A spanking shall drive the foolishness from the child's head. NO EXTENSION CORDS, POTS, PANS, LIT CIGS, ETC.
  • I do not advocate spanking as a way of teaching a child but for a Government to tell a parent that they may not smack a childs hand or leg when it is continuously doing something dangerous is just too much lefty socialism turning a country into a Nannie state. Laws on child abuse are good . The government has no right to tell a parent how to discipline a child unless it is excessive and by that I mean more than the occassional smack for bad behaviour
  • It is about time that what is illegal to do to an adult becomes illegal to do to a child.
  • I think we have enough laws telling us how to raise our kids,children can already claim to be abused if they don't like how thier parents treat them and some do.Could you imagine giving your kid a swat on the butt for vulgar or dangerous behavior only to find your own child has put you in jail?Oh lord,if that is the case,why bother having parents or being one?
  • I don't think it's a good law, because kids should be spanked if they're acting the fool. Sometimes kids need to put in line, and sometimes spanking them is the only way besides taking privelages away from them, and things they really enjoy. Now for the people that beat their children and give bruises, they should be stopped. That's considered abuse. We as parents should definitely know how far to go with our disciplining.
  • We have a serious juvenile delinquency problem that won't get any better if we make it harder for parents to discipline their unruly children. The government should only intervene when serious, abusive behavior is taking place at home.
  • The sooner governments stop trying to legislate family life the better
  • I heard this is on the table in CA recently, and it bothers me. I don't really believe that spanking serves a great purpose in general, I prefer TALKING and time-out, for littles...Talking and removal of privileges for older children. More than anything I believe in being ACCOUNTABLE and honest in how I treat a child under my care to be the best enforcer of cooperative behavior. However...I once had a niece (6) and nephew (3) staying with us for several months. They were both wonderful kids but the boy did have some emotional issues brewing. We caught him sometimes hurting one of our dogs, (the same one he would curl up to sleep with, who also loved him right back...a very nurturing dog) We talked to him about it, he got time outs for pulling, pinching, or kicking her...our methods weren't making an impact on him. Finally I told him, the next time you do something mean to Scooter, I'm going to do the exact same thing to YOU! He already knew he could count on us to NEVER make false promises, or lie to him. I saw him kick her in the haunch within a day or two, when they were in the front yard together, the dog had just been standing there doing nothing, when he walked over and kicked her. I burst out the front screen door, with a look of fury on my face, placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a small (gentle, in control) kick to his bottom, swooped him up...a look of fear on his face because I made sure to appear livid...carried him bawling into the house and plopped his butt onto a chair. "HERE YOU GO!" I grabbed the Timer, set it for 15 minutes, right in front of him. "You get a full 15 minutes for this one, next time it will be 30 minutes..twice as much time! DO NOT MOVE, CRY ALL YOU WANT, BUT DO NOT GET UP FROM THIS CHAIR! YOU DO NOT HURT ANYONE, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE UNHAPPY ABOUT SOMETHING...NOT IN THIS HOUSE!" When the timer rang, he slipped off the chair, hugged Scooter, who had laid near by waiting for him, told her in his own words that he was sorry, and wouldn't do it again. And...he didn't. He learned to punch a pillow that we gave him to use for that purpose but more he learned to TALK to us when he was feeling like hitting "someone." Obviously, I would/could go to jail in some areas if a controlled spanking is against the law. I still don't like the idea of spanking, I assuredly do not approve of punching, slapping the face or other forms of abuse. But, I agree that with a very small child sometimes, a light smack to the hand, or the butt might get the point across. A law of this type will not stop ABUSERS from hitting children, no more than "gun control" will keep guns out of the hands of the ill intended murderers and thieves...people who want to and do break laws...will do so as ever they can.
  • Spanking (if needed!) isn't abuse. A LAW AGAINST SPANKING IS CHILDABUSE. A child unfamiliar with punishment, growing up without any respect or restraint, can turn out to be a pain in the royal for others, and becomes isolated or ends up in jail. There are alternatives to spanking, like locking up, or taking their allowance, but aren't those alternatives just as "bad" as spanking?
  • People are people and they will do what they want especially when it comes to disciplining their children. If you were raised being spanked by your parents and it worked and disciplined you as an adult, then why not? I was not spanked as a child, and I was a spoiled brat that got away with everything! Now as an adult, I sometimes see that negative side in me that is not disciplined and thinks I can do whatever I want! Sometimes I wish I did get spanked as a child! -haha
  • I guess it's only protecting them from public child abuse. I have seen some parents slap their kids way too hard from where I was standing.
  • punishment is necessary and i would do it anyway. caning has done me aot of good and make kids obedient. kids who get away with things will be criminals. the govt should make some punisment tools available such as a proper cane or switch or whip that parents should be alloud to use. no tools that will do longlasting damage, just tools that will give a good sting and teach them a lesson.
  • Total Garbage!!! Sometimes a swat on the butt is the only thing that will get through to my pre-schooler...
  • Honestly, it wouldn't affect our family much. We generally do not spank. I won't lie and say that I've never done it - I have been caught off guard and resorted to a pat on the bottom, for which I have felt eternally guilty. I have looked at it from the same perspective as AntigoneRising and totally agree that children deserve the same rights as adults (points for AR). What bothers me most about myself is this: I rarely have STRONG feelings about spanking... It has to be drawn out with a change of perspective. This upsets me - that it is soooo culturally ingrained in me that someone has to slap me across the face (or bottom) and say, "You made a mistake! Don't do it again!!!" Are you kidding me??? I would go postal!!! So how could I possibly think that it's okay for me, or anyone else to do to a child??? I am truly disappointed in myself...
  • I love it when people are basically telling you that your parents did a bad job raising you... it's rediculous!
  • I think if they make any more rules preventing me from disciplining my children, I will let the state have them, and when they become criminals from all of the "time outs", the state can worry about what happened. I am not condoning caning, extension cords, hot wheels tracks, or anything like that. Just a good old swat on the behind. This is one of the reasons, I believe, that the jails are full: Our children are not taught that there is a consequence for negative actions.
  • I don't know the details of the law in question, but I'd be very wary of any law that tries to wrest control of a child's discipline away from its parents. How would they gauge the severity of the spanking? Whose judgement would be used? It sounds like heartless idealism.
  • Maybe if there was more spanking and less time outs there wouldn't be so many criminals out there!!!
  • I think it is almost impossible to discipline a child under like...5 without SOME kind of spanking. There's basically nothing else you can do to punish a kid that small. Time outs, yadda yadda...there aren't a whole lot of options. Once they get old enough to have privileges taken away, then I believe spanking is no longer needed. I would never consider spanking a teenager. That is just ridiculous. There doesn't need to be a law against spanking. there's already laws drawing lines around it and i think those are good enough.
  • Well intended, but misguided. Some people spank. Some people don't. They want to protect the child, but really, all they are doing is not stopping the child's bad behavior soon enough. If a child isn't responding to verbal warnings, timeouts, etc., what's left to do? Spanking(NOT BEATING) DOES NOT "hurt" a child. It will make them uncomfortable for a little while, but they'll probably learn the lesson. Loving parents who spank would never do it hard enough to be noticeable in over 30 minutes. After that long, it's probably a safe bet to say the kid isn't in pain anymore. Parents who beat their kids until they leave damage are already breaking the law, so a new one wouldn't stop them. All it would do is make parents' jobs a lot harder, and make kids a lot less respecting of authority. I'm glad my parents spanked me, because it taught me to do what I was told, and to try my best to do the right thing. It taught me that there were consequences for my actions, and that I need to think about those BEFORE I act. Not spanking a child and just putting them in timeout will just tell them that they can act up and they will be left alone. They will grow accustomed to this aloneness, and soon will enjoy it.
  • I think spanking can be an effective way to get a child's attention and let them know that what they did was wrong, but I also think that too many parents take spanking too far and are too close to abuse with it.
  • I think to outlaw spanking completely is a really bad idea. I really think that some younger kids just NEED to be spanked when they do something wrong. It's nearly impossible for them to learn otherwise. There are few punishments you can use on a 2 year old yah know? I doubt a time out is gonna do the trick usually.
  • As someone who regularly makes "alternative" choices regarding parenting, I'm generally opposed to the government dictating choices regarding my children. HOWEVER -- this seems like such a no-brainer. Really -- it's just pure logic. In our present culture it is considered illegal for one person to hit another person. Children are people. Therefore it is illegal to hit a child. There shouldn't even have to be a "new" law to make this clear.....
  • It seems to me that it may be appropriate to spank on rare occasions. I would, however, suppose a law that banned using inanimate object to hit a child, such as a stick or a belt. If you are going to hurt a child, have the backbone to use your own hand and take responsibility for it.
  • abuse bad good old fashion ass whoppin' that's deserved good!
  • i feel the government already sticks its nose into are business too much. i think that the only thing a child can comprehend when they are under five years of age is a painful reprimand by swatting the butt. they do not keep their attention focused long enough to make taking something away an effective punishment. If they made it against the law to swat my child,i guess i would become a lawbreaker.Parents should ultimately decide what form of discipline would be most effective for them.
  • I have a 4 year old and when he's constantly doing something or something that could be harmful to him, I swat him on the rear! I just don't think telling a child " No No you can't do that " is very effective! If you're BEATING a child, you should be thrown in jail... but spanking a child, or even popping them in the mouth when they get out of line is effective. It really scares me to think of all the kids that are growing up in a society where they think that all they'll get for doing something wrong is a lecture!
  • My children were never struck much. If it happened, it was a quick wack on a padded bottom. but that wack is necessary sometimes just to bring a child back to reality. It is not abuse. I agree that spanking is overused by some. But why should the many be penalised for the few? Just deal with the few.
  • I find it silly. spanking can be an effective disciplinary tool if used in conjunction with other good parenting tools. Or it can be abusive. But so can all forms of discipline, but not disciplining is also abusive. I.E.: Timeouts are simply a new term for *shunning* which can be extremely emotionally and mentally abusive if misused. The form of discipline is not what makes it good or bad, abusive or non-abusive...it is how it is done along with the overall parenting tools used.
  • I believe that any law that makes it illegal for anyone to hit or beat a child. There are more sane and better ways to discipline a child that contribute to helping them to grow and mature appropriately as they have the right to. (this is the answer I wrote to another question like this one.) A leather belt was used by my mother and his own belt was used by my Dad....sometimes his had a metal end on it. The only other 'corporal' punishment was a slap to the face. NO, NO. I do not think that in any way physical, verbal or emotional abuse makes any child a better adult. I know that it did not make my older brother a better adult because he used corporal punishment on his sons and worse on 2 of his 3 wives---"the third wife laid down the law" so he never hurt her physically when he was drinking. (In every way he acted out at his family as an alcoholic just LIKE our father did. My younger sister was 'spanked', beaten, more than once with a belt and there is no doubt that it DID NOT make her a better adult. In fact, it led her to hate herself, have very poor self image, believed that she was no good in every way and she could never find peace with/from God. Her 2 worst "spankings" beatings with a belt were: at age 7 by our young 24 yr "saintly" mother; and, at age 17 by our father. Nobody remembers why she was 'spanked for doing something wrong" at age 7. I remember every blow and the yelling at her and her fighting to get away from mother's hold on her with one hand and swinging the belt with the other.At age 8, I was powerless as were my brothers, age 6 and 9. At age 17 in 1957, she still lived at home aand bought a car after getting a great job after her June 1957 graduation. Most Saturday nights she and a girl friend would go to a movie, bowling, skating, and similar activities that were available to teenagers in the 1950's over 30 years before the sexual revolution and ease in buying beer, and the use of heroin primarily in the NE U.S. One night she and her girl friend did not just 'drag' (as in the movie, "American Graffitti" that was filmed at the favorite drive-in, round, at one of the street that was crowded by teenagers every Fri and Sat nights) the street and yell at the boys, but they left town and drove 60-plus miles away AND she arrived home at 8:00 a.m. When she opened the front door father demanded that she go to her room...our mother and I were in the kitchen and, as at age 9, I could only listen to her screams because my interference at 18 would just have meant that he would become even more angry and beat me too. Same for our mother. (That evening she called our grandmother and was on the plane to travel 5 states away the very next morning.) What he had done: Made her remove her clothing all except bra and panties, used his stiff narrow belt with a metal end to beat on her so hard so long. The incident was not mentioned by our parents. You see, he had decided that she was out there having sex with one or more boys---being liki him probably several times a week when at his favorite bar owned by the woman he had slept with for several years before alcohol killed him at 47. How "in God's green earth" could those 'spankings' have made her a better adult. She never spanked her own kids who are 3 fine adults now. She died at 57. God was merciful for she was happy one minute and dead the next, before her son could walk around the table, when an anyourism broke in the front of her head. Sadly, the laws making such treatment Child Abuse did not come until the 80's. I realize that some adults can bury such memories so deed that they do not realize the power those buried feelings have on their adult lives.
  • I believe that the government has interfered way too much already and look what's happening with our children. My daughter is nine and has had only to paddlings in her life. They were accompanied with talking about the reason and reassuring about my love and they've made quite an impression so far. I do believe, though, that there are parents who spank too much.
  • I think it's ridiculous. I was spanked as a child and I turned out fine. Spanking and abuse are two completely different things that should be treated differently. I would never abuse my children, but when they do something naughty, in some cases they need more than verbal correction or time-out.
  • i think you should spank a child and as hard as you like
  • No,we have allowed the governments to much power as it is,there are already so many laws on the books,that every man,woman,and child in the U.S. and Canada is now a criminal. if the disapline is so harsh that it leaves bruising,then it should be classed as assault,and treated that way,but if it is a normal spanking on the butt,then they should not be allowed this power.
  • i would be braking the law, because i believe that a child needs a good spanking!!!
  • I heard it is not illegal to "hit" as long as its a open handed spanken. I believe as well as most others on here that a good spanking does a child good.
  • sorry I don't agree with this law ....a spanking(over the knee's) never did any long term harm and I am afraid you only have to look whats happening to kids today because all the dogooder's say no spanking or don't say no to your kids I think they are the ones who need to go over the knee's and have their bare bottom spanked and hard for all the shit that is happening with kids today ....keep their noses out and let the parents do there job at raising their kids ...after all the first things these dogooder's say its the "parents"fault !...how can that be when these people WON'T let parents be parents with out know it alls sticking the noses in
  • I see it's coming up in the Massachusetts legislature right now, and I think it's ridiculous. The whole move to criminalize child spanking is a knee-jerk reaction to the theoretical possibility of abuse. Spanking and abuse are not one and the same, but there's always some misguided do-gooders purporting to champion 'children's rights' with their anti-spanking crusades. In fact, I think they're doing children a real disservice. Smacking a child's bottom is as purely natural a form of corrective education as you'll find. Generations of caring and conscientious parents have believed in it and used it to everyone's advantage. Our society is already the worse for spanking having been demonized.
  • If you go on the idea that children are people and since there are different kinds of people, spanking may work for some and not for others. However, I agree with the general consensus that the government should not tell parents how to raise their children. (Maybe parenting coaching classes may help, though)
  • There are already laws that protect against child abuse. Any spanking considered excessive would fall into this category.
  • I'm not going to let a law stop me from whopping my child's ass.
  • There are adults who were spanked as chidren and adults who were not spanked as children and it seems to me most of us turned out okay either way.
  • More power to Congress. It's about damn time they did something. Too many parents abuse their kids and get away with it because THE CURRENT CHILD ABUSE LAWS DON'T WORK FOR SHIT. They didn't protect me from molestation and they're not gonna protect a kid from getting the shit beat out of them by their parents. ALL SPANKING IS ABUSE AND SHOULD BE BANNED.
  • i think we are in "big trouble" when the LAW starts telling "good" parents how to discipline THEIR kids...note i said "good"...abuse (beatings) are not "good"...and there are already laws...just the law don't do much to help these kids and lots don't want to get involved

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