Nursery World - How to get model behaviour from children

I was absolutely disgusted with the letter by Andrew Bowdler (17 October), who reasons that using smacking as a first resort is a 'less vicious and more effective' way to chastise young children. Children learn from their role models, be they childcarers, parents, extended family or peers. If they see hitting as a way of dealing with a situation, they will learn to face their problems this way, and in years to come we will have a new generation of adults who are unable to communicate except by violence.

Children learn from their role models, be they childcarers, parents, extended family or peers. If they see hitting as a way of dealing with a situation, they will learn to face their problems this way, and in years to come we will have a new generation of adults who are unable to communicate except by violence.

Hitting any child is wrong. All it does is stress that 'if I'm bigger I can bully you'. Do we really want children to be scared of us? Wouldn't we rather a child admired us, felt safe with us and loved us?

I have worked in childcare for more than ten years. At no point have I ever used physical punishment on a baby or child. I totally disagree with the notion that smacking is the only way to discipline a child under age three.

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