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Mum accused of assault with wooden spoon

Yahoo!7 October 15, 2009, 12:45 pm

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A mother in Victoria has been accused of assault after using a wooden spoon to discipline her nine year old daughter.

Police warned Claire Davidson she could be charged with assault with a weapon.

Do you think parents should be allowed to hit their children? Leave your comments below.

The incident came to light during an anti-bullying discussion at Yea Primary School, north of Melbourne.

Her daughter told year three students her mum smacked her.

A support worker reported the conversation, and police took action by speaking to the family.

Ms Davidson said, "When we went there they took Anna aside, and they had a word to her. They were satisfied no major abuse occurred."

"However it is an offence to smack with a wooden spoon. I was told it was acceptable to use an open hand on the backside, however nothing else."

She told the Herald Sun, "We only use [it] when she is being naughty and we give her fair chance to rectify the situation."

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149 Comments

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sickonhat 02:29am Friday 23rd October 2009 EST Report Abuse
is Communist and stupidity and crazy! thiz your children, flesh blood and meat! jail then dump to space for 150 years!
sickonhat 02:26am Friday 23rd October 2009 EST Report Abuse
NO PHYSICAL! AND ALSO DONT BREAK THEIR THINGS! AND DONT NOT MAKE DINNER! AND DONT LOSE ANYONE'S MONEY!
M 12:35am Saturday 17th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
to you do gooders who think smacking is a quick fix for lazy/ frustrated or angry parents, why the hell do we warn them or give them chances to rectify the situation? if this was the case there would be no warning
amd 07:29am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
My apologies for typos, I am very tired this morning.
amd 07:28am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
Parents have a responsibility to the whole of society to raise a child who is not totally oblivious to other's needs, who displays empathy, who respects those who are charged with their care, who respects the law and their surroundings. Most times a few smacks in childhood accomplish that ef ...
general azz 07:26am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
i was smack with a wooden spoon and i'm still standing. Kids need boundries and need to be educated in basic principles for life. parents are fully responsible for the upbrining of there children and if some little uptight arrogant upstart feels that this mother needs to be charged with assu ...
amd 07:24am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
Be refusing to smack if needed, you setting your own child up for a lifetime of unhappiness and social isolation. We all know the whingy child, the bullying child, the unkind, unempathetic child. Children are naturally quite selfish and do foolish things. Sometimes a quick smack is the kindest, quic ...
amd 07:22am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
In fact it is actually cruel to your child to not smack if a smack is necessary. The ill behaved child who is not smacked usually ends up socially isolated, unhappy, bullying to get attention, and this affects their entire school and social lives. You are not protecting them by refusing to smack, yo ...
amd 07:19am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
Sorry, should have read consequence. In addition, by putting parents who smack when needed into the same category as abusive parents, you are harming the children who really are abused, as it minimises true abuse as well as demonising good parents.
amd 07:08am Friday 16th October 2009 EST Report Abuse
What people refuse to understand is that a child's brain is nothing like an adult brain so those who choose to believe a smack teaches violence are simply wrong. Like putting your hand on something hot, it teaches you that a bad action has a bad consquence.