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Posted: 10 April 2007 at 11:20am | IP Logged

I was so mad with what i heard on GMTV this morning. the goverment are trying to get shop assitstents to stop parents hitting misbehaving children. They are even talking about putting signs in shop windows saying on smacking ban in this shop. AAAAAAAAAAAAA

1. i think what right do they have to interfear with a parent.

2. are the shop ass going to be traind and get disclosures done on them if they are going to deal with childre.

3. it is not agenst the law to smack your child.

i am so angry with this i think we should be aloud to disaplin our children with in reason

what do you think?

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 11:26am | IP Logged

i agree, why do shop assistants now get a say in how we bring up our kids? We have little control over them as it is, and as parents have to be so so careful!! Now we are going to have even less control over them! Each to their own i always thought!

They wonder why this new teen generation are out of control...well a short smack never hurt me, i have never committed a crime or had an asbo!! I only ever needed 2 smacks in my whole childhood, the fear of having one was enough to deter me!

If we cant follow up on a "threat" like "i'll smack" the kids know they can get away with it!

They wouldnt need asbo's if we could discipline them properly. Threats of a smack should be all that is needed, but whats the point when they know that parents can't do it!!

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 1:32pm | IP Logged

i disagree with hitting-it doesnt teach children right from wrong

i would interfere if i saw it going on out and about, i saw a 10 yr old dragging a toddler along by his reins last week and it was wrapped around his neck, the child was in obvious pain, so i talked to the child-the mother was nowhere to be seen until later, i asked him to carry the child and he would stop screeching

i went outside later only to see the same pair, the big one beating the .... out of the toddler again i went over as i couldnt see a parent-if i had let it go i wouldnt have felt happy, as kit was the whole incident upset me greatly

the 10 yr old said 'my mum does it'

i have had child abuse training at school, and i would ring the police if i felt it approppriate, unfortunately many of us see things and dont say anything its then that these things can escalate and we feel bad about it

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 1:45pm | IP Logged

Let the parents do the disiplining. Shop assistants don't even do their own jobs properly half the time. A parent should be allowed to disipline as needed and if that's in a shop, that's it. When a child is naughty they need to be told there and then, not wait for it to escalate and then tell them off outside the shop, what child would take you seriously?

I've never actually smacked any of my kids in a shop or in public before, but I have on occasion smacked indoors but only if they were doing something dangerous. I have had to take my eldest out of a shopping centre and tell him off for misbehaving but that's about it. I just think that it's not a shop assistants' place to stop a parent. Although hitting is wrong anyway, Jopsy I think you did the right thing - I would never let my children treat their siblings like that but the 10 year old learnt it from the mum. That's terrible!

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 2:11pm | IP Logged

I would not interfere if i saw a child being smacked by a parent.  Dont get me wrong i know the difference between a smack and a beating or abuse so that would be a different matter.  I would diffinatly step in.  If a child was given a smack on the bum for being naughty or for whatever the parent thought a smack was due to then leave them to it.  Its a smack.  That is how they have decided to raise and disapline their child be it right of wrong.  No one has the right to tell you how to raise your child or to tell you what is right and wrong.

Love Trudi.  xx

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 2:18pm | IP Logged

I think this depends on the scale of what is happening.

In Jopsy's argument I agree with her actions and I would probably have done the same, or at least looked for and spoken to the mother.

I dont smack Edward because it doesnt work for us but my parents did smack me and I came out of it fine. It is not illeal to smack a child as long as it doesnt leave a mark and some parents find it is the best form of disapline for them. It may not be our personal opinion but it doesnt make them wrong for doing it. A wilful child will use this new rule to push the boundries further when out knowing the parent will be punished for reacting.

Also shop assistants are then forced to put themselves in positions where they themselves could be in arguments with shoppers and forced to tell people off. I'm sure that is not why they became shop assistants in the first place.

If I saw a parent using excessive forse on a child I would say something but if a parent is using their own, legal, disapline technique then  wouldnt step in.

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 2:21pm | IP Logged

Id like to see a shop assistant TRY and stop me giving either of my girls a well deserved smack on the backside if required...ill tell you know...someone might have to bail me out of jail...am sure you can all vouch for me as character witness' lol.  Bang out of order, there is a difference between a smacked bum and a massive ongoing wolloping.  My general rule of thumb which seems to work with the girls is just the threat of it, with the embaressment kind added on...do you want a smacked bum in front of all your friends etc.

Parents should be let be to discipline, not some spotty 18 year old shop assistant grrrr...but thats just me!

Posted: 10 April 2007 at 4:05pm | IP Logged

Just quickly reading through.. havent really got much time atm but i have one thing to say...

This is why we have ASBO's now.. cause parents aren't allowed to discapline there own kids anymore!!!

will add more later...