Physical discipline questions...?

Question

Is it legal for a parent to physically disipline their children with a belt/hands/tennis racket. (No bone breaking, but obvious bruises near the point of blood building up beneath surface of skin. (skin is red/blue where struck)

And is ANY physical discipline legal to a parent's child that is 18 years of age?

Answer 1

That sounds like abuse. Depending on the child's age I don't see a problem with spanking a child with a belt or hands. When it comes to other things such as tennis rackets, that is a problem.

Answer 2

Erm, I'm not sure about the legality of it. However, physically disciplining a kid can get you in trouble.

And yes, if your kid's 18 and lives under your roof, it is legal.

Let me note that I don't think hitting your kid is a good idea.

Answer 3

As a former child service worker, it is legal to spank (on the butt) with anything as it is not severe enough to leave marks.  So what you are refering to is not legal.  No there is not any physical discipline you can use with an 18 year old.  They are old enough to press charges against you.

Answer 4

Anything that causes physical harm (brusing or otherwise) could be considered child abuse. A normal spaking is not illegal and a recent statistic showed that 88% of parents at one point have spanked their children. However, using items such as a tennis racket and leaving bruises and swelling is considered child abuse.

Any physical "discipline" to a child that is 18 years of age could be considered battery if the "child" so chooses to press charges.

Answer 5

I presume that by physical punishment you mean striking the child. Personally, I have found that the older the child, the less effective that method is. Since a child is legally an adult at the age of 18, I think that it would be called battery if you struck him or her.

A more effective method of punishment for older children (say from 8 on up) is to have them do exercises. For example: A friend of mine had a son who was 6' tall in 6th grade. When he mouthed off to her, she couldn't spank him, so she told him he had to run up and down the stairs 50 times, and at the bottom (where she stood) he had to kiss her and tell her "I love you, mom" every time. Well, it was funny until about the 10th lap, then the fun ended and it became work. Once his stair running became easy, he had to hit the floor and give her 20 (or 40 or whatever) sit-ups or push-ups. By the time he graduated from high school, he had a healthy respect for his parents and was in great shape.

Answer 6

Hitting doesn't work..open your lines of communication..Talking to your child about your expectations and if he/she can't follow your rules you need to take things away from them..It works they hate to be without material things. cell phones, computers, cars!!!  Hitting just makes you feel good for a second, then you feel guilty..bc if your questioning it your just fustrated and are looking for a quick answer...there is no quick answer.  Just be strong and stay in control..when your hitting you look "out of control'  I know someone that had a fight with her 14 yr old dtr and slapped her and left a hand mark on her and now she lost custody of her 3 kids...  Good Luck

Answer 7

No if it leave bruises then it is Abuse and can be persecuted by the law. You can however spank your child with an object if you do not leave lasting marks. this legislation differs from state to state and country to country