Bill would make state first to ban swatting of children under 4

[Sterling]

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[mrlee]

well, they need to look at england and how being unable to smack children has brought up a lovely new generation known as chavs.

[Izzy]

I'd go further and make a prison sentence mandatory for anyone who hit a child - of whatever age

Its abuse by despicable parents - attacking a child is about as low as you can possibly go and a lengthy sentence is in order. How dare someone assault their own child for their inadaquate parenting?

If you need to hit your child to make them behave you shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a child - but wait, violence and fear is the way to raise children

Send the bastards to jail

[mrlee]

I'd go further and make a prison sentence mandatory for anyone who hit a child - of whatever age

Its abuse by despicable parents - attacking a child is about as low as you can possibly go and a lengthy sentence is in order. How dare someone assault their own child for their inadaquate parenting?

If you need to hit your child to make them behave you shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a child - but wait, violence and fear is the way to raise children

Send the bastards to jail

i think smacking, not hard, with a warning first  to give the child a chance to stop, is fine.

[Izzy]

I'd go further and make a prison sentence mandatory for anyone who hit a child - of whatever age

Its abuse by despicable parents - attacking a child is about as low as you can possibly go and a lengthy sentence is in order. How dare someone assault their own child for their inadaquate parenting?

If you need to hit your child to make them behave you shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a child - but wait, violence and fear is the way to raise children

Send the bastards to jail

i think smacking, not hard, with a warning first? to give the child a chance to stop, is fine.

why dont u try talking with the child - withholding sweets etc?

No wonder people are so aggresive if they were taught violence IS the answer

Children are very impressionable - how the fuck does hurting them benefit them in anyway? What kind of damage does that do - and what kind of emotional wall is that building between you and your child?

If you love your children how could you possibly hurt them - you'd do terrible things to someone if they hit your child, but when you do it....thats okay? Are children your personal toys to be played with as you wish?

Children are naturally naughty - humans automatically test their environment to see what restraits they work within - just because you (the parent) werent prepared for children and the ordeal they can be - that aint the child's fault

by 'you' i dont mean anyone specifically

[zman]

I'd go further and make a prison sentence mandatory for anyone who hit a child - of whatever age

Its abuse by despicable parents - attacking a child is about as low as you can possibly go and a lengthy sentence is in order. How dare someone assault their own child for their inadaquate parenting?

If you need to hit your child to make them behave you shouldnt be allowed anywhere near a child - but wait, violence and fear is the way to raise children

You where never spanking on the butt, hand slapped, pinched, kicked in the butt  or anything like that by your parents?

Send the bastards to jail

i think smacking, not hard, with a warning first to give the child a chance to stop, is fine.

Yeah sending people to prison is the answer........ NOT. Just what we need for our already over crowded prisons here in California. These politicians are going just a little to far with there law making. I do not need the goverment making laws telling me how to raise my child. Giving a child a light spanking is OK but if you spank a child and leave welts or black and blue marks that is a not OK.  Next it will be that you can not yell at your kids,  send them to their room, timeouts sitting in a chair facing the wall or some other punishment will be against the law.

[Izzy]

I do not need the goverment making laws telling me how to raise my child.

well if your hitting your child then perhaps you do - this law isnt for the parents benefit, but the childs

[zman]

I understand it is for the childs benefit. Who is to say what hitting is? What if I am at a grocery store with my son and we are playing (which I do alot with him) and I slap him on his butt and the grocery clerk sees this and calls the authorities and now i get a fine because some 16 year old kid thinks i am beating my son. 

[supaplex]

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=beat

[The Dog]

Izzy you are out of your mind.  My parents spanked/slapped me and all 5 of my brothers when we misbehaved. NONE of us ever got into fights, none of us ever tried drugs, none of us did anything seriously bad - in other words it didnt effect our behaviour negatively at all.  If anything it made us behave better b/c nobody wanted to get spanked again.  All of us are successfuly, well adjusted, normal adults now.

You want to try to "reason with" a 4 year old?  Thats just ridiculous.  Children aren't equals, they are not your friends.  They are kids. 

If you want to point to aggressive behavior in kids i'd say video games and violent movies have a much bigger impression then a spank or two.

[Mal Brossard]

Izzy you are out of your mind.  My parents spanked/slapped me and all 5 of my brothers when we misbehaved. NONE of us ever got into fights, none of us ever tried drugs, none of us did anything seriously bad - in other words it didnt effect our behaviour negatively at all.  If anything it made us behave better b/c nobody wanted to get spanked again.  All of us are successfuly, well adjusted, normal adults now.

You want to try to "reason with" a 4 year old?  Thats just ridiculous.  Children aren't equals, they are not your friends.  They are kids. 

If you want to point to aggressive behavior in kids i'd say video games and violent movies have a much bigger impression then a spank or two.

Fuckin' A!  Well said!

Count me in as another one who was spanked as a child.  I rarely got into fights, never did any drugs, and was only nailed for anything by the police once, and it was for a 7th degree misdemeanor trespassing.  Had the old hag across the street not had too much time on her hands and called the cops for us just checking out a half-built home to find out how the hell the builders could want $200,000 for the thing, I would never have been nailed for anything.

I'm now 22, I have a steady job, a B.S. in journalism, and have attended private schools my whole life.  So I'd say I turned out pretty damn well.

California is going to ruin this country eventually.

[Walk]

Obedience is the most important value children can be taught. Maddox explains it best. Children are not the same as adult citizens. They have to be molded with discipline before being the same as men like me. They have to be taught fear of man and God to learn control of their actions.

The law is ridiculous. Any respectable whipping will result in bruises and broken skin. My children will never become like chavs or rednecks when they mature.

[nonlinear]

Obedience is the most important value children can be taught. Maddox explains it best. Children are not the same as adult citizens. They have to be molded with discipline before being the same as men like me. They have to be taught fear of man and God to learn control of their actions.

The law is ridiculous. Any respectable whipping will result in bruises and broken skin. My children will never become like chavs or rednecks when they mature.

dude, i'm sorry but you sound like a damn backwoods hillbilly yourself 

[nycangel]

passing that law is ridiclous. parents raise their children how they see fit, and the government has no right to say anything about what goes on with children and parents. if the child is being beaten to the point where he or she cant walk, then the parent should be thrown in to jail, because thats child abuse. but for the government to tell you how to raise and discipline your child, is ridiclous. they have no right.

[GeorgeSteele]

Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, a Mountain View Democrat who is crafting the measure, said corporal punishment victimizes helpless children and contributes to a society "addicted to violence."

I'm sure you'll all be surprised to hear that this woman has never had any children.

[supaplex]

so if someone gives his/her child a slap over the ass for something that the child did wrong the police will throw the parent in jail for one year??? so, how would you explain to the child that his mother/father who he's spent his whole life with(0-4 years) that the person he is the most attached to won't be there anymore for him? how can a child so young can cope with not having his parents around? some people are really stupid

[Axl4Prez2004]

While I personally don't believe in spanking, I think this law is ridiculous.

 

[axl_rose_700]

I do not need the goverment making laws telling me how to raise my child.

well if your hitting your child then perhaps you do - this law isnt for the parents benefit, but the childs

I think there are two types of smacking, if it's a light slap on the arse like I used to get with a warning giving me chance to stop and behave myself then it is fine but just randomly attacking your child is way over the top and anyone who does that needs to go to jail

[Axl4Prez2004]

Physical punishment really makes no sense.  However, it's very easy to administer and gives immediate results.  Ease and immediate gratification...now those are two attributes our current society can appreciate!

How terrible would it be for parents to learn self-control?  How awful would it be for parents to not lose their cool?  I think alot of new parents don't realize there is an alternative to smacking a kid to get immediate results.  If parents are consistent in severity and style of non-physical discipline, they will be much more likely to raise non-violent children.  To those here in the forum who are proud to announce they were spanked and turned out perfectly fine, that's great.  However, the studies all show you are in the minority on this one.  Sorry.   

I officiated youth basketball for 7 years with ages ranging from middle school to varsity high school games.  The kids are influenced by adults.  When parents and coaches behave like a-holes, so do the kids.  When parents and coaches behave appropriately, so do the kids.  When parents and coaches disrespect officials, so do the kids.  Amazing, huh?

However...a law like this is ridiculous.  First off, how is it alright to hit a 5 year old and not a 4 year old?  Second, I can just see the parent telling the kid, "Just wait till we're outta this store..." and the swatting would be twice as hard when they're out of others' sights.

BTW, has anybody ever spent any time in downtown urban areas?  I have and it isn't pretty.  Needless to say, these teen moms and dads (if they're even around) smack their kids all the time.  In fact I've seen them watching their own kids fight.  There's a mentality that fosters violence.  Kid cries, "Be a man!" is heard.  Fuck that shit.   

   

[-Jack-]

Izzy you are out of your mind.  My parents spanked/slapped me and all 5 of my brothers when we misbehaved. NONE of us ever got into fights, none of us ever tried drugs, none of us did anything seriously bad - in other words it didnt effect our behaviour negatively at all.  If anything it made us behave better b/c nobody wanted to get spanked again.  All of us are successfuly, well adjusted, normal adults now.

You want to try to "reason with" a 4 year old?  Thats just ridiculous.  Children aren't equals, they are not your friends.  They are kids. 

If you want to point to aggressive behavior in kids i'd say video games and violent movies have a much bigger impression then a spank or two.

Was I the only one who thought Izzy was out of his mind? 

A parent should have the right to spank their kids if necessary.. I was only spanked once in my whole childhood and I turned out fine. Laws are giving children too much control.. they should know their limits and well if you have to spank em once who cares?

My father was hit with a belt growing up and he is one of the most gentle people I know. He is smart and intelligent, graduated from UCLA, is an artist and is now a teacher. Spanking hasn't made him violent OR hate his parents. My grandfather (the one who spanked him) is the kindest person I know and is amazingly good hearted. I look up to the guy and he is certainly not evil or angry.

Personally I don't plan on spanking my kids. Doesn't make this law right either way.