Priorities!!

New Zealand has been trying to pass an 'anti-smacking' bill.. Does the goverment have a right to come into our homes now?? It is said that you are only allowed to smack with 'reasonable force'. Well.. to what measure is this 'reasonable force' ?? I, for one, smack my kids.. I don't 'beat' them, but I do smack them. And when I smack my little boy with the so-called 'reasonable force', he turns around and smiles at me and gives me his other hand. He totally thinks it's a game; it's only when I use a little more 'reasonable force' that he realises that he has done something that he shouldn't have. So at this rate, I guess I'll be in jail every 2nd day ??

Hundreds took time off during lunch today to attend a protest, even politicians! Erm.. is there nothing else to do? No one else to put in jail? And those that know anything about New Zealand jails would have another story to tell!! They get 3 meals a day and dessert, warm beds, satellite tv.. it's like a free vacation!! But anyway.. that's not what I wanna talk about at the moment! :)

<-- I say lift the anti-smacking bill, especially for ppl like this! What a good example of responsible parenting THIS man is... extend the smacking to parents if they misbehave! With 'reasonable force' too!

But on the other hand, some dirty rotten scoundrels have been getting away with beating their kids and using the 'reasonable force' defence. This is abhorrent. Clearly the law needs to define what a smack IS for punishment purposes, and when a child is beaten when an adult loses control of themselves. Countries which have already banned smacking (Sweden did 30 years ago) have not seen the desired effects. The law must also reflect that societies beliefs, albeit without the brutality. Many societies have corporal punishment as a way of life, and is encouraged by government (many asian countries still have canning) and therefore will find a bill such as this completely alien. In New Zealand, smacking has been used as a last resort punishment tactic by parents for generations, and dare I say it, certainly doesn't have some of the major problems of other countries. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but putting children in a position of control over parents is dangerous water.
The necessary punishment must not only fit the crime, but also the child.