Child Abuse?

[TuxThePenguin]

I'd like to hear people's opinions of this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1792771,00.html


I personally find it abbhorant.

 

[Pogue]

I fully agree with you there.

 

[Goatboy]

Yeesh.

Right, well, firstly, I hate both children and cheap amateur psychoanalysis.

Nonetheless, I’ll go on record saying these people are sick in the head.

Also;

After a short explanation about bad attitudes and the need to love, patiently and calmly apply the rod to his backside. Somehow, after eight or 10 licks, the poison is transformed into gushing love and contentment. The world becomes a beautiful place. A brand-new child emerges. It makes an adult stare at the rod in wonder, trying to see what magic is contained therein.

‘kay, now I know I’ve got a filthy mind, but does anyone else get a real “icky”* feeling reading that?

*Like a bad SnM porno novel.

 

[TheDag]

It does make awful reading and it does go over the top in terms of punishment. I certainly don't agree with using items to hit with. I will however say that I agree that corporal punishment should be allowed as a last resort but clear guidelines should be made as to what is acceptable. I received the cane at school not quite 30 years ago (like the person who wrote the article) but not far off and I certainly was not left bleeding. I was smacked by my parents and I don't believe it did any harm. The New South Wales government here is Oz is the only one in this country that I'm aware of that have set guidelines for what is acceptable and what isn't. For example if smacking a child you must use the palm of your hand. The reasoning behind that is because that is the way the person doing the smacking will get an idea of how much it is hurting the child. The law also specifies that it must not leave a mark and also says where you may smack the child. The head id most certainly out of bounds. There is also a difference between smacking and belting. I certainly hope that I will never need to smack my children but I don't rule it out either.