by northernruth » Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:26 am
No. Although I was smacked regularly as a child. My memory of my Mum doing it was that she lost her rag and would smack and smack and smack us. I only remember Dad smacking me once, outside church. He had told me that if I didn't sit quiet he would smack me when we got outside and he did, in full view of all the congregation leaving. The humiliation was worse than the smacking.
My mum still defends it but I am gradually winning her over to the idea that you don't show children that hitting is wrong by hitting them. She was a primary school teacher tho in the 50s and 60s and they used to smack the children in the class.
I think we are still evolving in our attitude to what is acceptable for children. I think that many instances of bullying for example are dealt with as if they didn't involve physical violence - some things that children do to each other in the playground would be a matter for the police if they involved adults.