Is it illegal to hit a child when they have done something wrong?

Answer 1

corporal punishment is usually legal BUT get carried away or leave any kind of bruise anywhere then YES it's illegal and your child could be taken away and depending on how bad you hit them you could possibly be looking at jail time..

or if it isn't your child YES the parents of the minor you hit could press charges and you will be looking at jail time and possibly a fine

Answer 2

If you want to know whether your parents are allowed to hit you, or to use other forms of violence - physical or mental - against you, in order to teach you what is right, this is something you need to discuss within your family (though not necessarily with your parents, to begin with!)

If you feel your parents are going too far in using violence against you in order to teach you to behave nicely, you should approach someone you can trust: a school, church, or community counselor, or perhaps your doctor. Discuss the matter with them and see where you can go from there.

When a child asks someone, or an organization (like WikiAnswers) whether their parents can legally hit them, some might suggest this is because the child wants to do whatever they like and then tell their parents they'll report them for child abuse if they try applying discipline. It's pretty rare, though, for a child to take that step; when a child asks this question it's more likely the parents are already going too far in the name of discipline, and that's when the child, or you - if you're worried about yourself, or another child - must seek outside help.

If, on the other hand, you are a parent needing to know whether you can legally hit your children, or to use other forms of violence - physical or mental - against them, in order to teach them the things you believe are important for them to learn, legislation of this kind differs depending on the area that you live in.

If you believe you really need to hit your children in order to teach them to behave well, then of course you need to know whether, in your area, you can legally hit them and, if so, how hard you can hit them, for how long, and so on. Just contact your local justice department; they can refer you to the appropriate section, which will be able to provide you with the information you need.

Until you contact your local authority and find out where you stand in law when you hit your children, it'd probably be safest to investigate alternative methods of convincing the kids to behave the way you want them to, which is, of course, to do the right thing wherever possible.

The very first step to take here is to teach by example. If you don't show your kids the right way to go, they're not going to listen when you tell them the right way to go. That'd be like hiring someone who can't drive round a corner without hitting the traffic signal, to teach the kids to drive. So if you want your kids to learn that it's wrong to tell lies, to hurt people or creatures, to steal, to damage property, and so on, you're way ahead if they already know you don't do any of these things. You could empower them a bit here, by getting suggestions on how you could avoid, for instance, yelling into the phone when you've been left on hold for way too long. Turning the situation into fun is good: people remember things that made them laugh. Don't you?

Your kids will inevitably see other people doing wrong things, in your neighborhood, on television, in the news: you could take the opportunity to discuss what's being done wrong, why it's wrong, and how we, individually and also as a family, can avoid doing that kind of thing ourselves. This is probably a very good second step towards raising children to do the right thing.

Casual discussion on topics involving right, wrong, and in-between - step two - is a great way to teach. If your children pick you up on something you've done, but which you tell them not to do, don't be defensive, and don't make excuses: kids see straight through hypocrisy and quickly lose respect for those they believe are hypocrites, or those who won't own up when they obviously know they're wrong.

You could talk about how we learn from doing something wrong: how we can try to avoid making that mistake again and why we should avoid making that mistake again. For example, next time you're stuck on hold, suggest to the kids that maybe instead of getting mad you could use the time to do something you've been meaning to do anyway, and why? Because, when the person finally gets on the line, you'll be in a reasonable mood and might get something done, which you won't if you yell. Call this step three.

Don't make a big deal about things your kids might've done wrong; you can refer, instead, to something a person outside the family has done, and discuss how you all feel about that behavior, and what other people involved should do. Humorous suggestions are always welcome, of course.

By this time you should be ready for step four, which is when you get off hold to the justice department and find out all about how much you're legally allowed to hurt your children.

Then you can all discuss that advice together, as a family.

Answer 3

The laws vary from place to place. In Texas, spanking is not considered abuse unless it results in marks or bruises.

Answer 4

Yes, it is against federal law to hit, "pop" or "spank" a child who is over a certain age. The age in the US is 8 years old.

Answer 5

Spanking is legal in all of the United States as long as it does not cause injury. That being said, spanking may not be the best form of punishment.

Answer 6

obviously it is perfectly legal in all places these children take our money and offer nothing in return bunch of freeloaders they take our women and our lives without helping our p-eoples