France Bans Spanking

[OJsDad]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/parenting/france-just-made-spanking-your-kid-illegal/ar-BBxWag2?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

Parents throughout France now need to think twice before spanking children who misbehave, as it could land them in hot water with the law. According to a new law that was recently passed, parents will be required to spare the rod and turn to other measures of discipline — like positive reinforcement — instead.

On December 22, the French parliament successfully voted to enact the "Equality and Citizenship" bill, which places a country-wide ban on all forms of corporal punishment, including harmful physical treatment like caning, flogging, or, a more common form of punishment — spanking.

Child abuse was already illegal in the country, but this new law, which makes spanking a civil rather than criminal offense, was created to eradicate all forms of "degrading, cruel and humiliating" treatment of kids by their parents.

"Ending cruel, degrading or humiliating treatment is an indispensable component of a comprehensive national strategy for the prevention and elimination of violence against children. It lays the foundation for a culture of respect for children's rights; safeguards children's dignity and physical integrity; and encourages positive discipline and education of children through non-violent means," Marta Santos Pais, a special secretary representative of the United Nations who specializes in child protection, said in a statement supporting the new law.

Turns out, the French might be on to something. Studies have shown that spanking basically doesn't work: It can not only impair a child's IQ and their overall ability to learn, but it can also lead to low self esteem, aggressive behaviors and substance abuse and addiction problems in later years.

According to a June 2016 study that appeared in the Journal of Family Psychology, more than five decades of research revealed that children who were spanked were more likely to encounter mental health and cognitive difficulties and obstacles, become anti-social and introverted, and were more likely to defy their parents.

Reports have revealed that, since 1986, the practice of spanking children has decreased among women. However, parents across the U.S. say they still approve of spanking as a form of discipline. According to a 2016 TODAY.com survey of 3,500 people, parents are split equally down the middle, with 50 percent saying they approve of spanking.

So what are frustrated parents to do? Research shows that techniques like timeouts, reasoning and removal of privileges can be effective if done correctly.
Researchers agree that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. "What parents need to do depends upon the kind of non-compliance that the child is showing," said Robert Larzelere, a professor of human development and family science at Oklahoma State University.

[DoctorQuest]

Never needed to resort to it myself. I'll put my kid's social behavior up against anyone's.

I don't believe in smacking my wife, either.

[Sir Slash]

I was never spanked. I didn't need to be. The mere threat of it from my Father kept me out of trouble. But if I'd needed it, he would have done it in an instance and I would have been the better for it. He used 'Positive Reinforcement' too. "Are you POSITIVE you want me to come over there"?

[Gusington]

I was hit, but I have never hit my own kids. I just can't do it. But I'm not sure how happy I'd be as a French dad being told by the gov't what I can or cannot do in the privacy of my own home.

[mirth]

I was hit, but I have never hit my own kids. I just can't do it.

Ditto. And I don't feel like being hit when I was a kid was any big deal or abusive. Just no desire to do it to my own kids. I feel bad enough if I yell at them.

[Gusington]

Yeah I wasn't abused by any means but I wasn't spared either. My mom just had a bad temper.

Believe me I feel I WANT to hit my kids sometimes because they drive me up a wall but raising the voice usually does the trick.

All that said...get the gov't (French or otherwise) out of my living room.

[DoctorQuest]

I was hit, but I have never hit my own kids. I just can't do it. But I'm not sure how happy I'd be as a French dad being told by the gov't what I can or cannot do in the privacy of my own home.

I had a twinge over this myself but the fact is there is a fine line between spanking and real physical abuse. Laws (and regulations) are not there for the folks that behave themselves. If enough cases of suspected abuse are presented there may be no choice but to err on the side of caution and the safety of the children. This is not about what two consenting adults do in the bedroom or whether you have a drink or a bong hit. It is about the physical safety of children.

[Sir Slash]

What's the punishment if you violate the law? Time-Out?  :timeout:

[OJsDad]

My father in law tells the story every once in awhile to the grandkids that his mother broke a wooden spoon on his backside.  After that, he didn't need any more corrective actions. 

It's interesting how many people complain that schools don't have control of the students anymore, but the last thing they want is the allow the schools to spank.  I remember getting whacked once in school.  Then I got home and got it again.

[Ubercat]

I wonder if they enforce the new law in the Sharia zones?  ::)

[BanzaiCat]

Oh, come on with this nonsense.

God forbid any child suffer public humiliation any longer and get swatted for being a little dickhead, in public or otherwise. I remember clearly in elementary school how misbehavior = getting the belt in front of the class. If you did it once, you sure as hell didn't do it again. Same goes for at home. Kids learn very quickly how to behave right when faced with this.

Some kids, of course, don't, but the vast majority do.

[Gusington]

I don't think a law like this will protect children from serial abusers.

[DoctorQuest]

Violence is violence.

Legal definition of "battery".

1. In criminal law, a physical act that results in harmful or offensive contact with another's person without that person's consent. 2. In tort law, the intentional causation of harmful or offensive contact with another's person without that person's consent.

There is no exception for the perceived degree of violence by the inflictor.

[Sir Slash]

When the lawyers show me how to raise kids, then I'd agree. My grandkids have learned quickly our house is a likely, "No" zone and that is backed-up by loving Old People with loud voices and as much force as needed to overcome our, "Failure to communicate". And my Grand-Pa Face.  >:(

[OJsDad]

Jake says he'd take the spanking over losing his rights to the 4 wheeler or mini-bike.