P18PPS

I know this is a subject full of differing views and opinions, but I am really intregued to know what ex-pats views are on the bill, bearing in mind most of us have come from a country where it is already law??

southerner

I asked my visiting MIL last night what is the current UK law - she did not know. Between us we thought that parental smacking was still allowed in certain situations in the UK?????

P18PPS

I don't think so - I'm 99% sure it became law in England and Wales a couple of years ago. Reasonable force is still allowed, but if you bruise or leave a physical mark on your child then you can face prosecution.

I know the whole debate is fuelled with differing opinions, but it seems that much talk in the NZ media seems to be anti the bill with very few people being vocal to it's support. Personally I fully support the bill and can't see what bashing the living daylights out of a child achieves, but after listening to opinions via the media feel very much in the minority! I was just intregued to know what ex-pats opinions were coming from a country where it is already law?

Batty

Yeah, I don't think it's completely banned. Considering my now 24 year old sister used to threaten us with ChildLine 20 years ago I hate to think what it must be like to have young kids now. Scary

Batty

I think most people would agree with you but the media seems to be fuelling the idea that if you even give a child a smack on the hand you will be hauled off by the police. It does seem a lot like scare mongering to me.

P18PPS

From my experience - tonnes of naughty steps, time out, gold stars, good behaviour charts, house points, brownie points, and threats are the worst like..... if you don't ".... no macdonalds" I find the latter to be the most effective - what a different world - my dad used to threaten me with a leather belt, Mum used to wack the living daylights out of me, my grandparents used to lock me in a cupboard and turn off the light ....

southerner

The NZ bill (unless it is amended at the last minute) will completely outlaw smacking, except in a life endangering situation. So the key difference in NZ is that those parents who use smacking as part of their children's discipline will either have to stop, or become criminals.

southerner

I think it is an issue, kids will know the score and will know they can't be smacked, or if they are they can scream blue murder.

There are pros and cons in the whole debate, but on balance I think the legislation is poorly drafted and wish the amendments to allow light smacking had been accepted.

Batty

[QUOTE=southerner;4516294]I think it is an issue, kids will know the score and will know they can't be smacked, or if they are they can scream blue murder.

QUOTE]

I do agree with you on that. I just think that people won't be hauled off by the police. It's all become very confusing - I never want to see a child beaten but a slap on the back of the hand or the bottom can't harm them.

I always think, when I see a parent hitting/slapping a child in, say, the supermarket, what do they do to them at home? When there's nobody to see

See, even my post sounds confusing to me - I think most people are somewhere in the middle of the debate.

dlmckay

There's another worrying part in which they are now saying that putting a child in Time Out can also constitute abuse and the parent can be prosecuted under this law. what's left for the parent to use?

I believe the amendment should go through because there's a world of difference between smacking and beating kids to death!

southerner

which is my point about it being bad legislation - you just cannot have a law that the police have so much discretion with.

dlmckay

tell that to the UK government when they brought in the Criminal Justice Act!

sky

Can we still nip them ...... kidding

southerner

as a matter of interest, if I wanted to teach my boy boxing, can I?
Or must I let a stranger do it.

karonious

At a bit of a tangent:
I remember listening to Terry Wogan (Steve had left him on, honest!), on the radio one day as I drove to work. He was on about the new legislation. his (lighthearted) point was, if we as parents are now no longer allowed to smack our own children, can we employ someone to do it for us?
I wasn't a huge Terry fan but he went up in my estimation for that one!