Today hosts get real about smacking (or not smacking) their kids
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The topic of smacking your kids or grandkids continues to be a controversial one, with many people strongly divided over whether or not it’s an acceptable form of discipline for parents to use on their children.
But why is everyone talking about smacking all of the sudden? Well, there are calls for it to become illegal in Australia (Yes, illegal). National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, has called for smacking to be made illegal as data shows children who have seen and experienced physical abuse are more than nine times more likely to use violence in the home.
Everyone has a different take on smacking, some say that a smack is just a tap on the bottom and not actually considered violent, while others believe any form of physical punishment is wrong and should be made illegal.
Karl and Ally ask the big question: Should smacking be made illegal? Image source: Today.
This week, the hosts of Channel 9’s Today Show decided to share their own thoughts and experiences on the matter.
Ally Langdon kicked things off by revealing that she was smacked as a child, but not very often. She also said it wasn’t her father who did most of the smacking – that job usually fell to her mother. However, she admitted that even the threat of her dad getting involved was enough to make her behave herself!
Alex Cullen and Karl Stefanovic both chimed in next, saying they were also smacked as kids. But while Karl said he would tap his own children if they were doing something dangerous (like running towards a busy road), Alex claimed he couldn’t imagine ever hitting his kids – no matter what they did.
All three hosts agreed that bending your child over your lap and giving them a hard smack would definitely be going too far. Ally also pointed out that when it comes to legislation surrounding smacking, there are so many different interpretations of what actually constitutes ‘smacking’ – making it difficult to implement any official laws around it without causing more confusion than necessary.
Naturally, the three hosts wanted to know what their viewers thought of smacking being made illegal, so they made a ‘poll’ on social media, and the outcome was surprising to all three of them. It turns out, ‘just 15 per cent of Australians agreed smacking should be made illegal, while 85 per cent disagreed.’
So, what do you think, members? Do you think smacking is okay and should remain legal? Or do you think it is wrong and should be a crime? Or, are you of the opinion that it’s far too complicated to define ‘smacking’ and the law shouldn’t be getting involved in disciplining a child? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
But why is everyone talking about smacking all of the sudden? Well, there are calls for it to become illegal in Australia (Yes, illegal). National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds, has called for smacking to be made illegal as data shows children who have seen and experienced physical abuse are more than nine times more likely to use violence in the home.
Everyone has a different take on smacking, some say that a smack is just a tap on the bottom and not actually considered violent, while others believe any form of physical punishment is wrong and should be made illegal.
Karl and Ally ask the big question: Should smacking be made illegal? Image source: Today.
This week, the hosts of Channel 9’s Today Show decided to share their own thoughts and experiences on the matter.
Ally Langdon kicked things off by revealing that she was smacked as a child, but not very often. She also said it wasn’t her father who did most of the smacking – that job usually fell to her mother. However, she admitted that even the threat of her dad getting involved was enough to make her behave herself!
Alex Cullen and Karl Stefanovic both chimed in next, saying they were also smacked as kids. But while Karl said he would tap his own children if they were doing something dangerous (like running towards a busy road), Alex claimed he couldn’t imagine ever hitting his kids – no matter what they did.
All three hosts agreed that bending your child over your lap and giving them a hard smack would definitely be going too far. Ally also pointed out that when it comes to legislation surrounding smacking, there are so many different interpretations of what actually constitutes ‘smacking’ – making it difficult to implement any official laws around it without causing more confusion than necessary.
Naturally, the three hosts wanted to know what their viewers thought of smacking being made illegal, so they made a ‘poll’ on social media, and the outcome was surprising to all three of them. It turns out, ‘just 15 per cent of Australians agreed smacking should be made illegal, while 85 per cent disagreed.’
So, what do you think, members? Do you think smacking is okay and should remain legal? Or do you think it is wrong and should be a crime? Or, are you of the opinion that it’s far too complicated to define ‘smacking’ and the law shouldn’t be getting involved in disciplining a child? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!