Punishment
Today’s news that an Iranian actor faces a year’s jail and 90 lashes for starring in a South Australia-funded film is an affront to justice, artistic license and about 100 other things. It is, however, very good news for a certain K Rudd.

The man who was Prime Minister until he walked backwards into a very long scimitar has had a good week. Not since he confronted a jaded John Howard and his despised WorkChoices at the 2007 election has Rudd been presented with such a string of scenarios tailor-made for his popularity.
If politics is normally the equivalent of facing missiles hurled at 100 miles an hour, this week has been T-Ball for Rudd. First, he out-manouevred Gillard with the Kuta Kid, owning the news cycle and making Gillard’s phone call to the boy’s cell look like a desperate grab for attention. Now he’s got the chance to go into bat for Iranian actor Marzieh Vafamehr.
Child psychologists everywhere will hate me for what I am about to say but I hope they take a good long hard look at what’s going on in England and think about how they’re teaching modern parenting.

In light of the riots in England, stories about the evils of smacking are a load of bunkum.
I’m old fashioned when it comes to raising my child. I’ve smacked. I admit it.
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jeff says:
acotrel. All you’ve talked about for the past few posts is how good you and your brothers are at fighting. If your missing your bottom teeth and have had to have your nose straightened you are obviously not that good at it. And if you were such a good kid… Read more »
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Older parent says:
My child was smackde. _yeah I kow, shockm horror etc. It worked like this. If you do x, I’m sorry bit I will have to smack you. It is important that you do NOT do it. If child then proceeds to do x, a smack ensues. The accompanying actions display… Read more »
One of The Punch’s team members has had a very bad week. Their youngest kid wrecked their fancy schmancy $1500 Apple Mac - their home computer, not their work one - and it is beyond repair.

The little rascal in question is four years old, and shouldn’t have been on the computer by himself in the first place. Kids today, huh?
So let’s cut to the chase. Should the kid be disciplined? And if so, how? No lollies forever? A good hard smack? A stern talking to?
Continue reading "Friday’s dilemma: Kid wrecks computer, how to punish?" »
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Reg says:
Hang about, there is a very important hurdle at 2 to 2.5, a child is in the process of becoming self-aware and it’s a very new field to both child and single-child parents. Strewth some aren’t even aware of the difficulty with their second child. This is NOT the time… Read more »
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Reg says:
Enough of this namby-pamby stuff, I’ve raised six as well Heather and even WORSE, four of them were girls. Boys are SO much easier but I confess, I may been responsible for my own hardship. Here’s the list, don’t regard any of them as punishment, regard then as opportunities. http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/4281414 Read more »
With the controversy in Melbourne of a mother who was brought before police and still could be charged with assualt for using wooden spoon on her daughter, we at the Punch thought we’d share with you wooden spooning techniques used in our families. Were you subjected to the wooden spoon? Is it acceptable or based on an outdated notion or corporal punishment?

Growing up in family of nine children discipline was not merely an issue for parents at one point in my family we had our own militia and counter-intelligence organisation.
I’m actually surprised that we all survived some of those punch ups that would quickly escalate into riots putting those Nigerian crime gangs to shame.
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Alan Carter says:
Ella, the only voice of sanity on this whole page. Being hit for crying (a natural and obvious reaction to being violated) after being assaulted… such a harmful insult! I know from experience… I can’t forget the overwhelming feeling of being so totally alone in the world when that happened… Read more »
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Ella says:
I came from a middle to upper class family with no drug addiction issues which externally did not appear to be broken. Despite being in a ‘good’ family my sister and I were hit with open palms, a dedicated strapping belt, wooden spoons, hair brushes or whatever was available on… Read more »
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