The Gummit sent me an envelope

[Grahameeboy]

as this law is a direct challenge to the cival rights of all kiwis your vote counts.
an non vote is a vote in agreement with the law,
you may not have kids right now, but is we let laws like this restrict our personal choice to do what we want inside out own homes, then we are heading down the wrong road into our future.

Like beating up kids I guess...............

[peasea]

Hell yeah! It is giving me the chance to vote for something I know nothing about apart from my upbringings in the 60s where a thrashing was a good thing.

It still is, if you own a motorcycle. Mine's been good lately but I'm still going to give it a good thrashing this weekend because I'm a bad parent.

[ManDownUnder]

Before I vote... I have one question... Can someone please define... "smack".

What is it, where can I apply said smack, and under which circumstances?

If we're going to end up with any changes we need to know what we're asking for - which does raise the question on what we currently have too - and is it any different?

The chances of change are pretty low anyway because I understand smacking children goes against some UN charter for the rights of children and NZ would probably need to tow the line or face financial penalty as part of the international community.

[peasea]

as this law is a direct challenge to the cival rights of all kiwis your vote counts.
an non vote is a vote in agreement with the law,
you may not have kids right now, but is we let laws like this restrict our personal choice to do what we want inside out own homes, then we are heading down the wrong road into our future.

I smacked my kids on the bum when they were little and sometimes on the hand if they were about to touch something they'd already been told not to touch. "A short, sharp shock" and all that. As they grew they understood and respected their boundaries. Now they are teenagers who DO NOT get into strife.

I will support them if they choose to discipline their own kids the same way. By the time my kids were old enough to say shit like; "You can't smack me I'll call the cops" they didn't need smacking. The ground rules were in place before they got to school.

Fuck the nanny state.

[Grahameeboy]

I smacked my kids on the bum when they were little and sometimes on the hand if they were about to touch something they'd already been told not to touch. "A short, sharp shock" and all that. As they grew they understood and respected their boundaries. Now they are teenagers who DO NOT get into strife.

I will support them if they choose to discipline their own kids the same way. By the time my kids were old enough to say shit like; "You can't smack me I'll call the cops" they didn't need smacking. The ground rules were in place before they got to school.

Fuck the nanny state.

Nanny State....that's silly..I think we often make our own worlds the way we are..at the end of the day what is really important in life...not getting your whiskers in a twist over this Law...

[Grahameeboy]

Before I vote... I have one question... Can someone please define... "smack".

What is it, where can I apply said smack, and under which circumstances?

If we're going to end up with any changes we need to know what we're asking for - which does raise the question on what we currently have too - and is it any different?

The chances of change are pretty low anyway because I understand smacking children goes against some UN charter for the rights of children and NZ would probably need to tow the line or face financial penalty as part of the international community.

WWF eat ya heart out

[koba]

Like beating up kids I guess...............

It has always been illegal to beat the shit out of your kids.

[Grahameeboy]

It has always been illegal to beat the shit out of your kids.

Agree..but the Anti-Smacking Law takes the loop holes out for the Police...

[JimO]

Agree..but the Anti-Smacking Law takes the loop holes out for the Police...

there is a big difference between a smack and a beating...........if you dont know the difference perhaps you arnt a suitable parent, just like the people who beat kids

[James Deuce]

I'm gonna STFU except just to say...



....that it's going to be nice being in the majority for a change.

Dave

Yay! I'm with Dave! Can I come to Burning Man now?

Motu has it of course, but despite what Graham thinks there is a big chunk of NZ society who don't love or want their kids and find them a burden because they are the result of a lifestyle choice not concious decision, a combined logical/emotional decision to raise a child successfully even if the parents aren't staying together, or a simple and much treasured series of accidents. These kids don't get "smacked", they get far worse than that from "family" who are stupid enough to shake their babies in hospital if they won't stop crying because of whatever ghetto disease they've landed in there with.

This referendum is a silly, pointless waste of money. There's only two ways to fix "the" problem, and thanks to the bipartisan social ideologies that have dominated NZ's political landscape for 80 years, neither issue will be dealt with.

[sunhuntin]

i tore mine up and stuck it in the trash. felt like sending it back shredded, but i ripped up the return addy.

[Mom]

I was down the road the other day and saw a young guy with a couple of smallish kids in tow. They were leaving the playground and the elder boy was whining and dragging his heels, Dad saying come on mate you have had your time. This kid started performing something wicked, his father got down to eye level with him and had a word. Went something along the lines of, if you dont stop this nonsense right now I will smack your bum and then you will have something to cry about.

He stood up and met my eye and did something that I can only describe as a startled jump. Big eyed stare at me. Obviously worried I would report him for even threatening to smack his very badly behaved son. I smiled at him and said, they can try the patience of a saint somedays eh? He relaxed.

Pathetic!

I can remember saying to one of my kids in the supermarket one day, when said child was being absolutely vile in the extreme. If you dont cut it out right now, when we get home I am going to take a stick to you and beat to within an inch of your life, making said child laugh at me. Crisis averted. They used to love me telling them I would break off their arms and legs and beat them to death with them too. Very diversionary and far removed from what I would actually do. Imagine how I would be treated these days for saying the same thing.

[FROSTY:Me]

2 THINGS
1) Under the law as it used to stand a parent had the right to choose not to use physical means to punish their kids.
2)There always was a law preventing a person from BEATING another person. regardless of age The police needed to enforce it.

on monday our Mr 13 had a total meltdown. F ing and blinding at his mother. He's about 60mm taller than her now. He made it clear that she couldn't hit him but if he chose to he could hit her --and no concequences.

[Grahameeboy]

there is a big difference between a smack and a beating...........if you dont know the difference perhaps you arnt a suitable parent, just like the people who beat kids

That is why the old Law allowed people to get aquitted..there was too much ambiquity...now there is not. Kids need security not ambiguity...I know the difference but guess deciding to have shared custody of a severely disabled Daughter (rare for a guy) just is not enough to be a suitable parent...I can't smack her (even if I wanted to) as she is weak so I guess that means I can comment on otherways of discipline ie not needing to smack kids

[Grahameeboy]

2 THINGS
1) Under the law as it used to stand a parent had the right to choose not to use physical means to punish their kids.
2)There always was a law preventing a person from BEATING another person. regardless of age The police needed to enforce it.

on monday our Mr 13 had a total meltdown. F ing and blinding at his mother. He's about 60mm taller than her now. He made it clear that she couldn't hit him but if he chose to he could hit her --and no concequences.

Problem was that the Police enforced but the Court's did not.Kids are allowed to have meltdowns