WmTrevor,

"There does seem to be a disconnect for some as to the distinction between 'discipline' and 'punishment'. To me, caning is punishment not discipline. Whereas Bec's "light smack on the backside with a open palm..." I regard as acceptable discipline and not at issue."

I agree.

My point in harping on the caning is that it is punishment of an extreme kind, especially on a two or three year-old. One should acknowledge that in infants the ability to reason and take direction is not developed sufficiently to behave in a civilised fashion some of the time. To be hit with a cane as part of a regime set up by a parent for failure to adhere to certain standards is way beyond reasonable "discipline" in children so young.

There is a world of difference between light smacks and a regime of caning of the very young.

If anyone here who reckons a caning, or a "boot up the bum" is acceptable behind closed doors - how would they react to witnessing the same thing out in the open in a supermarket - on an infant child?

One thing that's not been covered in this thread is evidence.

The Wikipedia page on corporal punishment seems to provide a reasonable coverage of the topic with references for a number of studies on the effects

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal_punishment_in_the_home

R0bert

Corporal punishment or physical abuse?

The degree of physical punishment that a parent or carer can use with a child is subject to legal regulation in Australia. In most states and territories, corporal punishment by a parent or carer is lawful provided that it is carried out for the purpose of correction, control or discipline, and that it is "reasonable" having regard to:

* the age of the child;
* the method of punishment;
* the child's capacity for reasoning (i.e., whether the child is able to comprehend correction/discipline); and
* the harm caused to the child (Bourke, 1981).

Corporal punishment that results in bruising, marking or other injury lasting longer than a 24-hour period may be deemed to be "unreasonable" and thus classified as physical abuse. As an example, the New South Wales Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) establishes that corporal punishment is unreasonable if the force is applied to any part of the head or neck of a child or to any other part of the body of a child in such a way as to be likely to cause harm to a child that lasts for more than a short period. Corporal punishment that is unreasonable in the circumstances may lead to intervention by police and/or child protection authorities.

It is lawful in Australia to use corporal punishment to discipline children as long as the punishment is "reasonable" in the circumstances. Punishment that is "unreasonable" (e.g., punishment that causes harm to a child that lasts for more than a short period) may be classified as physical abuse and could lead to intervention by police and/or child protection authorities.

Are corporal punishment and discipline the same thing?

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:z4wDrOsiZzUJ:http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/pubs/sheets/rs19/rs19.html%2BJudges+were+banned+in+1900,australia&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&hl=en&ct=clnk