A Supreme Court move has reignited the debate as to whether
parents should be able to physically discipline their children,
after the Court quashed a decision convicting an Air Force pilot of
aggravated assault for smacking his 12 year old son.
Many Baby Boomers and Generation X will remember receiving a
smack on the behind or a clip across the ear in the event they
misbehaved. However with many parents electing to use alternate
methods of discipline such as the 'naughty corner' or the
suspension of privileges such as television and mobile phones, most
children of modern day parents haven't experienced this form of
punishment.
One reason that parents may choose to utilise alternate forms of
discipline is that given the increasing awareness and attention on
the issue of family and domestic violence, in some instances a
parent who physically disciplines their child risks being charged
with assault.
