Right to smack? No, it’s wrong

I was a bit of a handful as a child – not a bad lad – but full of mischief, which earned me more than a few slaps on the legs from Yorkshire Mother.

Up until a year ago I was firmly of the “the odd smack never did me any harm’’ school of parenting.

But my opinion has gone through 360 degrees since then.

The arrival of Baby T has led me to reconsider and totally change my views.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has reignited the “right to smack’’ debate after admitting he had smacked his kids to “send a message’’ when they were badly behaved.

A message was no doubt sent, but what was it?

That the bigger and stronger prevail?

That violence is an ac- ceptable method to get your way

My dad never hit me or my sister. Well he did once.

It was one Christmas Day-morning, mum was ill in bed and me and my sister ( well, all right, it was mainly me) were causing merry hell.

The original gentle giant, we pushed my dad too far that day and he adminstered what was no more than a tap to our backsides. But the shock of him raising even a gentle hand to us had both me and my sister in floods of tears.

It became a family joke, and he laughed along with it but even years later I could tell it made him feel uncomfortable. I could never understand why, but I can now.

The thought of hitting Baby T when she’s older is just abhorrent.

Why would I want to hurt her, no matter how “naughty’’ she might be.

Her teeth are hurting her at the moment and all I wish is that I could take away her pain. What could possibly change so that I would become the thing that causes her pain?

I hope I never break my pledge , but if I do it will probably be because I lost my temper. From what I can see smacking is rarely a cool and calm decision, it happens when the parent loses their cool.

Yorkshire Mother often lost it with me ( what is so wrong with repeatedly putting salt in the sugar bowl?) and would slap my legs.

She got even madder when I perfected the art of bending my knees at the moment of impact so she could never get a good clean swipe.

Many parents who have successfully brought up children with the help of the odd smack, will be thinking “just you wait’’.

They will also point to the smack that follows when, for example, a child does something that could endanger themself such as running into a road.

Maybe, experience will change my views again, but surely there must be a better way.

However, I can’t support the view that smacking should be banned by law.

I was lucky enough to be brought up in a loving, supportive and safe home and I wouldn’t change a thing about my parents. So how could I possibly support calls for a law that would see people like my mum dragged before the court?

On the other hand there’s the mother writing in the Daily Mail this week who came out with such gems as “sometimes fear is the only tool you have left’’ and “my children not only flinch, they duck, dive and even, on occasion lock themselves in a room to avoid being on the receiving end of my hand.’’

Now there’s somebody that needs a good...