Share

Hidings are personal

Readers respond to Ban the Smack! by Scott Dunlop.

I'm quite shocked that the government feels compelled to get involved in the personal matters of people's homes, instead of focusing on the larger problems in our society, like crime (which granted, child abuse is a part of), drugs, children sitting in classrooms with no facilities, etc.

Parents should be allowed to raise their children the way the feel fit. They didn't need the governments permission to conceive their children, so why should the government get involved in what is a parent's right to discipline a child? As the citizens of this country, we are given laws that we need to abide by, so why can't we give our children laws to abide by at home? Our government itself is run by completely corrupt officials who believe it's okay to steal from coffers that were meant for the poor (but to mention one flaw), they are ill-disciplined to the 9th degree, and they want to dictate to parents?

I think they need to shut their mouths and do what they promised they would do for the people who voted for them, ie. jobs, homes, water, electricity, education, service delivery, etc.

Children who are not disciplined by their parents inevitably bully those parents and lack the respect they need to grow into contributing members of society. They backchat people, have attitudes of entitlement and NEVER take responsibility for themselves. My son knows that when he's messed with a drink, he needs to take responsibility for that mess and grab the scrub rag to clean up his own mess. He knows that he needs to greet when he walks into a room. He knows that swearing is prohibited at ALL times. That didn't just happen by miracle - we chose to spank him on the butt every time he used a swear word the moment he picked up what swearing was about. And today I can proudly say that he never uses a swear word. He's 6 years old, does really well at school and knows that there are boundaries,  and I think my husband and I are doing a great job of rearing him into a decent, respectable young man who will one day be that contributing member of society.

Growing up, my parents spanked both my sister and I whenever we were disrespectful to our elders or were disobedient. We turned out just fine, and neither of us have criminal records and we're raising our children WITHOUT the help of the government! So again, why should the government get involved at THIS level?

They need to get their priorities straight! Butt out! How I raise my kids is MY business, not yours.

Anonymous

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE