FOUR children were removed from their grandparents' care and put into separate foster homes, allegedly because the grandmother smacked one of them on the bottom after the child tried to climb into a drain.
The children had lived on and off with their grandparents for six years while their mother battled drug addiction. The children were removed in December by the NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) and have been living in foster homes, separated from each other.
How much more trauma did these kids need to go through? Their mum is a battling drug addict, and then they are removed from the care of quite obviously loving family members because some people in our democracy disagreed with their opinions on child rearing and discipline.
Maybe I’m a little ignorant, but I don’t seem to recall the referendum on smacking. I also don’t have any clear memory of a significant High Court ruling declaring any corporal punishment as child abuse. My understanding of the issue was that it was still a parent/guardian's perogative to discipline a child in the manner they chose, so long as the discipline was not abusive.
The subjective word here, I guess, is abuse. What defines abuse? Is a smack on the bum for climbing into a drain abusive, or just good old fashioned parenting? DOCS have a very difficult job to do. For mine, that job could be a whole lot easier if they stopped focusing on moral crusades, and started addressing some real cases of child abuse.
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5 comments:
This is wrong in so many ways.
Many kids don't need to be smacked. I was smacked, only a few times. I learnt to do as I was told and thus was kept safe from things like trains on tracks and so on.
There is no discipline any more.
It's too hard to keep bacteria like Dennis Ferguson off the street.
This way, they can be seen to be actually doing something to protect abused children.
/sarc off
Sorry, if I'm slow in replying, I'm having an arguement with Robert Merkel at LP.
I copped a couple around the ears as a young fella. Mrs Sharpe is reluctant to smack, but I'm sure as young Sharpe Jr grows up, there will be a time wwhen a short sharp smack on the bum will be very called for, and entirely appropriate.
I have no qualms about smacking, although when Magilla told me the last time that it didn't hurt, I did offer her the wooden spoon in lieu.
LOL She fell right back into line.
I didn't like the idea of smacking either, but sometimes, nothing else works.
There have to be consequences for actions, and in my case, a smack is a rare occurrence. She knows I'll follow through with anything I say, and if I start counting down, then she knows she's in trouble.
I can't remember the last time I got to two!
Now at least the children are in good hands knowing that DOCS are taking care of their welfare. They can eventually move on with the guidance of the community services.
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