NO It helps kids to behave

Claire Elford was a nanny for seven years before starting her own family. Her job convinced her that naughty children who are never smacked can end up spoilt. Claire, 27, lives in London with husband Craig and children Amelia, three, and 18-month-old Archie.

She says, "The parents I worked for were often very soft on discipline and didn't believe in smacking so the kids got away with murder.

"They would whine until they got what they wanted by wearing their mums down. Many of them ended up spoilt because they knew they could get away with things.

"I vowed that was not going to happen with my children. I love them and I want them to grow up to be nice likeable people – not little monsters who think they can always have their own way.

"I definitely believe that light smacks are a very good way to discipline small children.

"They are too young to be reasoned with and simply get angry and frustrated if you sit them down and give them a long lecture on rights and wrongs. When Amelia is naughty I warn her not to carry on and if she persists I give her a light smack on the hand. She may cry but then she comes for a cuddle and we make up.

"Smacking defuses a situation. It's much more scary for a child to see her mum losing her temper than for the child to have a quick smack before the situation gets out of hand.

"But certainly by the times she's 10 I wouldn't expect to be smacking her."

2) Translate the following into English: шлепать, заставить подчиняться, запретить, отставать/ устареть, подавать пример, нарастать (о конфликте), непослушный, сходить с рук, быть мягким в отношении дисциплины, поднять руку на кого-либо, установить четкие границы, вознаградить, терпеть, обнять, легкий шлепок, излить свое недовольство на кого-либо, остыть, брать измором, делать по-своему, читать лекцию о том, что хорошо и что плохо;мириться, разрядить обстановку, выйти из-под контроля.

3) Discuss the questions:

1) How do parents discipline their children?

2) Is smacking a reasonable punishment to give a child in a civilised society? What are arguments for and against it?

3) Who can give this punishment to a child? Parents? Teachers? Other relatives?

4) Read the two letters. Which one do you agree most with? Why?

Dear Sir

I think it is quite ridiculous that the government should be considering legislation to ban smacking. Every parent needs the right to be able to give a child a smack, not in order to cause physical harm or pain, but more as a shock tactic to stop a child from misbehaving or in some circumstances to stop them causing damage to themselves or other people. Some people argue that laws are needed to stop excessive physical punishment, but there are quite clear laws dealing with assault and bodily harm. If a parent causes physical harm to a child, then the police can use these laws to bring the parent to justice. My father used to give me the slipper and it never did me any harm. What is all the fuss about?

Jack Wallace

Dear Sir

Thank goodness the government has finally begun to see sense regarding the punishment of children! Let us hope that they have the courage to do away with the physical punishment of children. We supposedly live in a civilised society. Can we at last realise that physical punishment is unreasonable, degrading, mentally harmful and completely unacceptable in the 21st century? Smacking, indeed any form of physical punishment, should be made illegal immediately, and parents and teachers who practise this disgraceful activity should be brought before the courts.

Laura Flynn

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29