Spanking

[macker]

Proposed legislation that could see parents hit with charges of assault for spanking their children has passed a first crucial step on its way to becoming law.

The bill, which would prohibit parents from using force on their children except in very limited circumstances, was adopted without fanfare by the Senate on Tuesday evening.

Liberal MP Marlene Jennings will now take it to the House of Commons, which must also adopt it before it can become law.



http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=...aa-b29b-360648ce1ea1

[Traditional_Ale]

Thanks Canada.

Keep piling on the reasons for me not to have kids. If my parents couldn't have spanked us (bro and sis too) once in a while when we were kids, I don't think anyone would have survived.

[Boblobla]

Crap.

Total crap. The government has no place in telling parents how to discipline their kids. I was spanked and tbqh it wasn't terrible. My parents never did it out of anger, they would send me to my room and let me know I might get spanked later, once I had time to think about what I had done.

[The Ditch]

I love arguing on the internet but I am not going to touch this with a 10 foot e-pole!

[Sample00]

I dont spank my kids anymore. frankly, they have gotten too old for it. now I just take things from them...computer time, Wii time, etc....
Sorry, but there are times when my kids deserved a swat on the ass.

[fredr123]

Just for fun, I looked up the actual bill in question.

Bill S-209

1. Section 43 of the Criminal Code is repealed and replaced by the following:

43. (1) Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using reasonable force other than corporal punishment toward a child who is under their care if the force is used only for the purpose of

(a) preventing or minimizing harm to the child or another person;

(b) preventing the child from engaging or continuing to engage in conduct that is of a criminal nature; or

(c) preventing the child from engaging or continuing to engage in excessively offensive or disruptive behaviour.

(2) In subsection (1), "reasonable force" means an application of force that is transitory and minimal in the circumstances.

Here's what section 43 of the Criminal Code currently says:

43. Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.

And of course, the good ol' Supreme Court of Canada has also had their say on this topic too in 2004: Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law

[Crazy Flamer]

I am not a proponent of spanking. Never have spanked my kids and I think there are better ways to discipline children.

That being said, The government has no business making this decision on behalf of parents. They should mind their own business. The intrusiveness of the proposed bill is quite bothersome.

[J pold]

I got spanked when I was a kid (damn wooden spoon!) I turned out alright

[CaptainCrunch]

There needs to be a definitive clause on the difference between spanking and abuse.

Wailing on your kid with a coat hanger, or a baseball bat wrapped in a phone book is abuse.

Swatting your kid on the bottom because he tipped over a liquor display should get nowhere near the court house.

[Phaneuf3]

What a mess. I really hope this doesn't become law. Sometimes kids need a good smack.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by J pold

I got spanked when I was a kid (damn wooden spoon!) I turned out alright

[CaptainCrunch]

I got spanked last night, I'm more then ok this morning

[mykalberta]

Pure BS, courst should be told they have no buisness in the home, period. You want to take the write of a teacher to stike a kid, so be it but stay the hell out of the home.

Doesnt really matter if its a law or not, people will discipline thier kids the best way they see fit. Also, to those thinking taking comptuer time etc away, watch out, your kid might sue your for excessive punishment.

[Slava]

The bill that you quoted fredr123 looks pretty rational to me? Looks like you can still spank your kids, but just sets out some pretty obvious instances where you can?

[fredr123]

Section 43 has been on the books since 1892. The changes approved by the Senate do little more than define "reasonable force" to be within the limits of Canada's treaty obligations on the rights of children. Are there situations not listed in the proposed bill that you would want to use force on your children?

[Phaneuf3]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Section 43 has been on the books since 1892. The changes approved by the Senate do little more than define "reasonable force" to be within the limits of Canada's treaty obligations on the rights of children. Are there situations not listed in the proposed bill that you would want to use force on your children?

...yes.
the way i'm reading it, you can now only use force under the situations listed to stop an action in process. not to correct behavior.

also, the way its worded it makes it sounds like the actions you're trying to stop need to be on the level of criminal actions.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

...yes.
the way i'm reading it, you can now only use force under the situations listed to stop an action in process. not to correct behavior.

also, the way its worded it makes it sounds like the actions you're trying to stop need to be on the level of criminal actions.

This might come as a surprise to some...but there are actually other ways to correct behaviour!

[chid]

Mother's weapon of choice: wooden spoon
Dad's weapon of choice: slipper
IT was RARE they brought them out, but honestly most of the times it was deserved and I believe it kept me in line until the age of.. say 10 or so when I was too old and didn't care as long as I still got to hang out with my friends..

Past that age my parents figured taking things away was a much worse punishment so it turned into loss of computer time, no tv, my parents even went so far as to remove my sisters bedroom door because she stole from them. I think that was the best punishment - because it required physical effort to put the door back on which meant it wasn't easy for my parents to back out on grounding her.

[llama64]

How do you train a dog? Using physical force (within limits).

Why are children any different. There's a difference between beating a child and spanking them to reinforce the concept of punishment. If you take away the ability to lay hands on your own kids, welcome to a generation of whiny self-indulgent brats that will make the millennium generation look like a cake walk.

[GirlySports]

Where's Russell Peters when you need him