Do you think hitting children should be illegal?

I don't think so, I don't plan on it with my children and I don't think that violence as an answer to anything as far as parenting goes is the right thing. I think that violence should be an extreme form of punishment to an extreme crime. Other than that, I never want to teach my children or anybody involved that violence is the right way to counteract behavior as a consequence.

It's considered assault in Canada. And it should be.

Yes. And also, who has never experimented it shouldn't really have say in the matter.

Every state is a nanny state with different people pulling the strings. Liberty in this decade is nothing more than one person’s interpretation of freedom that is bound by limitations.When the government isn't dictating everything it is the media.

On very rare occasions my dad would slap my leg if I was very naughty...I can't say I am emotionally scarred from it at all! I believe it has it's place. What I don't condone is leaving a kid with a welt or bruises as this to me is abusive. It's great if you can reason with your child without slapping them but sometimes you can't reason with them and I think it is especially appropriate if a child puts themselves in danger and needs to learn pretty quickly that they can't do that.

Not all children are the same and I firmly believe a smack has it's place and time.

Don't confuse this with abuse! Beating a child is far different from a slap. The slaps I received barely hurt but I associated it with wrong doing and never did the thing I was slapped for again.

My cousin was a very badly behaved child...his mother was a good mother and his brothers and sisters were well behaved. He set fire to her bed...she didn't hit him but explained he could of really hurt her.....he did it again while she was asleep and this time she slapped his bum and he never did it again.

I totally understand why people are against it especially if they were actually abused and not just slapped for being naughty. For this I am sorry but you have to try and understand, a slap for being naughty and being abused are different.

Basically it should be down to the parent. What works for one child may not work for another. The parent should be able to decide (aslong as not abusive) what is appropriate.

The media cannot dictate anything, because the media is consumed. You do not like the media - do you read/listen to/watch it.

Media is optional.

Gov't is mandatory.

Huge difference.

What Wing described is what most adults would do. My late mom would have done it. Yes, it is hard to draw a line, but a law that expects a parent who is rushing to save her child from being hit by a car to temper her physical reaction out of fear of being prosecuted must have been written by people who have never had their children have a close shave with a moving vehicle. If I were the legislature, I would select people like Wing, who have been in situations Wing described, and have them draft the law and exclude anybody who has not been through what Wing has been through.

Sometimes we overestimate what can be accomplished through legislation. It's against the law for a man to beat his wife, but that hasn't put an end to wife beating.

I think it very interesting that you ask potentially controversial questions, BobbyDavis...

No. I don't hit anyone.