| In every child born there are a multitude of seeds all | | | | works, but there are countless studies that have |
| waiting to be nurtured and watered eventually | | | | proven that it does not work and is in fact harmful in a |
| sprouting roots and emerging from their fertile soil. If | | | | number of ways. |
| we nurture the seeds of love, faith, non-violence, | | | | Jacques Prevert wrote, "The road to hell is paved with |
| compassion and honesty, these attributes will grow | | | | good intentions". |
| strong and in abundance however, if the seeds of | | | | When we smack our children, our intentions may be |
| hate, jealously, intolerance, violence, fear and envy are | | | | good, but they are not educated, they are not wise |
| watered they too will bear fruit. | | | | and they make no sense at all. They are based on our |
| As parents we are responsible for developing a child's | | | | own fear and conditioning and until we really explore |
| view of the world around them. The view we create | | | | our reasons why we choose to hit our children, nothing |
| for them, will likely follow them through the course of | | | | will change. |
| their lifetime. We can help them to develop a view of | | | | We believe unconsciously; therefore we choose |
| a world of possibilities, abundance and magnificent and | | | | unconsciously. |
| we can also create a view of an antagonistic world | | | | If we argued that children who are not smacked |
| where fear, unhappiness and anger predominate. | | | | become out of control and anti-social, we must also |
| Gandhi said "Even if I am a minority of one - the truth | | | | acknowledge, that if recent polls suggest, that 94% of |
| is the truth". And the truth I know is that when we | | | | parents smack their children, then only 6% of children |
| smack our children, when we use violence of any kind, | | | | should be unruly. Is that true? If smacking worked, then |
| for whatever reason, however we may try to justify it | | | | you should only ever need to smack your |
| in our own minds, we not only damage the precious | | | | child...what...three or four times, and then they would not |
| bonds of love and trust with our children we damage | | | | misbehave. Is that true? |
| their pride and self esteem and sow the seeds of | | | | Permissiveness can also be unwise and |
| violence, fear, intolerance and anger. | | | | counterproductive. The wise parent establishes a safe |
| Our whole way of thinking about children and how we | | | | environment with age-appropriate boundaries and |
| commonly raise and discipline them, must be | | | | reasonable conventions, models desirable behaviours, |
| addressed and changed, from the inside out, if we | | | | and appeals to and cultivates the child's natural |
| want our world to change. | | | | inclination toward imitation and cooperation. This |
| What is a "safe" smack? I know, without a shadow of | | | | method takes more skill and patience than hitting, but it |
| a doubt, that there is no such thing as a safe smack. If | | | | works, and it works for the long term. |
| you believe that smacking is an effective and safe | | | | It also serves to strengthen the bonds of trust |
| way to discipline your children and that what I am | | | | between parent and child, between teacher and |
| saying is a load of crap, then I ask only that you take a | | | | learner, thus paving the way for the more challenging |
| moment to listen. Really listen. | | | | lessons ahead. |
| Violence, hate, fear greed, and war are the order of | | | | Children should never receive less protection than |
| the day. If we cannot change our own deeply ingrained | | | | adults. We must put an end to adult justification of |
| habits of thinking, feeling, sensing and acting, that gave | | | | violence against children, whether accepted as |
| birth to the problems we face, they will again be | | | | 'tradition' or disguised as 'discipline'. A child is a fully |
| recreated in short order. | | | | fledged human being deserving of the same rights and |
| We MUST understand that smacking does not cause | | | | protection as any other member of society. |
| children to internalize any moral or ethical messages, | | | | Any form of corporal punishment or 'smacking' is a |
| nor does it encourage them to cherish freedom, | | | | violent attack upon another human being's integrity. |
| embrace life and find meaning. | | | | This ends Part 1 of this article. Please be sure to read |
| To date there has been no-one who has been able to | | | | Part 2. |
| offer any viable evidence, that corporal punishment | | | | |