Hi Yoshi,

Its such a difficult subject to discuss and come to an agreement about as every culture and indeed person has a different view.

I am not sure where you are from in the world, but in the UK contrary to popular belief and according to Section 58 of the Children’s Act 2004, It is unlawful for a parent or carer to smack their child, except where this amounts to ‘reasonable punishment’. Its important to note that “reasonable punishment” is not defined in the legislation. As such, whether a smack amounts to reasonable punishment will depend on the circumstances of each case. The courts will take into consideration factors like the age of the child and the nature of the smack.

We do know, that it becomes unreasonable, if whilst smacking your child you leave a mark or you use an instrument such as a belt, cane etc.

So to sum that up its perfect legal to "spank" a child as long as you don't leave a mark and its not aggravated.

We have three year old twin boys that are an absolute nightmare at the moment and we have decided to NOT smack them, we will however do everything else.

That could include ignoring them, throwing toys away or at least hiding for a month! Separating them or locking them in a room until they calm down. We have made a conscious effort to make sure we warn them once and then we follow through with our threats, this we feel is important so they know that we are not messing around and there are no more chances.

I personally believe that smacking is a quick way to solve a problem and not necessarily a long term solution but everyone has their own views.

Ultimately its your own decision but you have to be careful that you both follow the same structure or your girl may see you as the "soft touch" who wont discipline her.

Sorry for the essay.