Key Points

 Smacking does not teach children self-discipline
 Smacking gives attention to a child's bad behaviour
 Children learn best by attention to things they do well
 There are many positive alternatives to smacking
 Smacking teaches children to hurt others
 When self-discipline is taught, smacking becomes unnecessary

The Great Debate
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 behaviors and to encourage the behaviors 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.