Hello Paul
Thanks, I'd forgotten about the latest from the Scottish Parliament. To be
honest I can't see how this can be policed,unless a special force is
employed to check the hands, legs and bums of all children under three. To
be honest I don't think that when all else has failed a little tap to the
little one will do any harm at all, whether British or Scottish. The late
Barbara Dockar Drysdale, who founded the Mulberry Bush School used to say
that if a grown up hits a child in a moment of anger, the most important
thing was for that grown up to realize that they were under stress and that
they should acknowledge that to the child as well as to themselves. I
doubt very much if this law in Scotland is really enforceable. It was
probably drawn up by someone who has never had kids of their own or worked
with them professionally.
Corporal punishment in schools years ago, used to be a ritualized sadistic
process from which the teacher derived great pleasure. Often the boy
(usually) would find pleasure in being beaten by a particular teacher and a
beater beaten syndrome was established. Not good.
Anyway, I think that if a parent occasionally taps, not slaps or beats a
child under three, then no damage either psychological or physical will
result. I can understand the parent who slaps their sassy adolescent son
or daughter. Not to be recommended, but sometimes unavoidable, in order
for the parent to feel better. Of course in an ideal world none of this
would happen at all.
Best
Gerald
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Carney <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 21 September 2001 18:12
Subject: Re: the price of democracy
>Dear Gerald
>
>> Before I move on, do you think that Scottish parents are more
>> into corporal punishment than the English?
>
>That's not something that I am 'qualified' to say, although I
>would doubt it. The point is however (For all our non 'Brit'
>list members) that the Scottish Parliament has passed a law
>banning the smacking of children below the age of three by
>everybody, including parents. It will, of course, be interesting
>to see how easy it is to 'police' such an act.
>
>
>
>=====
>Best wishes
>
>Paul
>
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