What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?Meh. It doesn't really matter to me what others think on the issue. Helping strangers out has landed me in hospital twice. I should probably have learned my lesson by now. >_>(Original post by paddy__power)
It's a fair thing to wonder. Often you are probably right but it isn't the case with me. I make no promises that I would act but I like to think I would and believe I would and even if I believed I wouldn't I would feel no need to apologise for that (subtly or otherwise). You are of course free to draw your own conclusions as you see fit
It just seems very often that people pointing out that most others do not wish to get involved in X situation do so in a really defensive manner, as if by passing some moral judgement on people in general they can excuse themselves from ever having to act. -
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?I've got children, I've just qualified as a primary teacher and I've have had lots of experience with working with very challenging children, my opinion is informed. I didn't say smacking was outright abuse but it isn't something I agree with and I believe there are much better ways for children to learn how to behave.(Original post by kka25)
And to all the other posters, wait until you have your own kids, or at least have the experienced of dealing with and taking care of difficult kids, then you could judge whether or not smacking the kids is abuse or teaching a sense of discipline
Last edited by balloon_parade; 05-07-2012 at 10:10. -
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?Nothing.(Original post by ken2)
This is a very interesting article i saw in the Daily Mail today.
To me, there's not a lot you can do really, only in exceptional cases will i call the police.
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It isn't my business how someone disciplines their child, of course this is all assuming that they are using reasonable force. If they were really beating their child then of course I would do something. -
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?(Original post by balloon_parade)
Seriously? Smacking is the lazy way out of true discipline. I'd rather take a 'Supernanny' approach and actually have them question their own behaviour and why it was wrong (which children can do at 2!), have consequences but not ones that could end in physical injury. Most children are at their best behaved in a nursery, pre-school or school setting and obviously teachers and school staff never smack.
Smacking just isn't necessary and if someone was willing to smack their child in public what the hell are they doing in private? I think if I saw it I would just give them a shocked/disapproving glance, but then that depends on the circumstances and seriousness of the smack...if it was in my school I'd have to report it for safeguarding reasons.
This whole debate infuriates me, those who think that people who don't smack aren't enforcing discipline is not the case, it's those who have no discipline whatsoever or just smack without explanation who are letting their kids run riot. Some parents need showing how to parent and could do with watching Supernanny and Tanya's House of Tiny Tearaways or taking a few parenting classes.
You think you'd give them a 'shocked, disapproving glance'? Really? How about going one step up and giving them a 'shocked, disgusted stare'? -
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very witty line, liked that!(Original post by VeeBelle)
This.
I love how people are questioning other people's parenting skills on a hypothetical spur of the moment reaction.
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As others have said, I wouldn't intervene unless they were beating the child or actually causing him real harm. In this situation, I might find it difficult to intervene myself but I would alert another adult near me or call the police. If they were just smacking their child though in a reasonable way, then I probably wouldn't think anything of it and just walk past, if a little uncomfortably as I would feel if they were just screaming at him.
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?TBH even if the person was clearly abusing the child no one would do anything, its called the bystander effect, everyone expects someone else to act so in the end no one does.
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?They can excuse themselves from having to act if they wish - the only obligation somebody has to intercede in such things is one they have personally developed. Do I feel personally that people should be more ready to act in defense of people they see need help? Yes. Do I judge anyone for not doing so? No. Your own moral standards do not extend beyond yourself so well done to you for being ready to help other people (genuinely well done) but this doesn't give you sufficient purchase to arrogate moral superiority over somebody who is not as brave (or possibly someone who has more sense(Original post by concubine)
Meh. It doesn't really matter to me what others think on the issue. Helping strangers out has landed me in hospital twice. I should probably have learned my lesson by now. >_>
It just seems very often that people pointing out that most others do not wish to get involved in X situation do so in a really defensive manner, as if by passing some moral judgement on people in general they can excuse themselves from ever having to act.
) as yourself. I may of course be interpreting your point incorrectly 
Last edited by ByronicHero; 05-07-2012 at 10:35. -
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?I never really got the point of smacking.
Maybe it was just me but whenever I got smacked it just made me more upset and distressed and so whatever I was misbehaving about or crying about just got 10 times worse because I'd be like oh that hurt too.
A stern telling off and a warning with some serious and scary words always did much more to shut me up.
So I'd probably do nothing, but why do people really need to smack their kids? I get negs everytime I say this and that's fine, but if you need to smack your kid isn't that weak parenting? You have to physically intimidate your child with the fear of force to get them to behave?
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?Nothing, I was smacked as a child and nothing bad happened to me nor am I the abusive psychotic killer that many parents fear their child will become as a result of smacking. I do think we have to be careful though, there is a major difference between a quick smack on the bum and throwing a punch, it's important that the child knows the difference also. I think it should be used rarely though, a verbal telling off is much better.
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?Unless it looked like they were doing some serious damage like proper beating this kid I wouldn't intervene, it's not your place to judge a person if they're just smacking their kid on the bum as punishment
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?There's nothing much you can do but look down on the parent, who has such little control over their child they need to resort to smacking. I've noticed smacking is just something parents do out of frustration and anger rather than as a genuine punishment to keep children in line. When I was little I knew if I could provoke a smack then i'd get out of being grounded.
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Re: What will you do if you saw someone smacking their child on the street?Freak out and have no idea what to do. I don't think anybody should ever hit their kids, ever. Not even a light tap or anything. I think it's completely irresponsible to teach your kids it's okay to hit someone if they're annoying you. I'm not usually averse to giving people a piece of my mind, like if I saw some kids picking on someone, I'd tell them to stop, but telling parents what they're doing is wrong is such a massive taboo in our country.
) as yourself. I may of course be interpreting your point incorrectly 
