Is slapping another [adult] person (open handed) across the face (or anywhere on the body for that matter), grounds for being arrested for assault? Of course.

yes,spanking is fine and often needed,slapping,punching,beating etc,never,slapping in the face is assault and never warranted.slapping in the face is abuse.

Yes it is and it shouldn't be done - ever !!

I am amazed that you should find it necessary to ask. Of course it is.

Yes :)

Okay, slap away. Great way to teach the child how to act in life as he/she gets older. If you don't like something someone else does, just slap them. Whatever you do with your child, you are teaching him/her how to act in life. If you give your child support and love and hugs, your child will grow up loving and supporting of others. If you slap your child you teach him/her to use violence as a solution to personal problems. What could a child possibly do that would justify a slap? Something you have repeatedly told the child not to do? Well, ask yourself why the child decided to ignor you. I would say it's a training problem, not a discipline problem. Striking a child, or anyone for that matter, is an acknowledgment that you haven't been able to get your own way and are trying to force another to act as you would have them act. Wow. What a concept. Try love and hugs and support instead. Works wonders.

No.

Forget about "child" for a moment and just consider the action. Is it OK for your wife to slap you in the face if she doesn't like what you've done? For you to slap her? Now add the "child" part of the equation: the "receiving" end is smaller, less conscious of good and bad, and less able to defend. Does that make it OK? Or worst?

slapping anyone especially a child is out of the question. I remember my mom slapping me for saying something as a child . I still remember it. If she sat me down and talked with me and explained, maybe if she heard why I said that and what I was feeling we could have avoided the slap. Too many times parents just say do this and dont explain. How are they going to not do it again if you dont explain why. Parent and child are lacking conversation.

I find a swat an the buttocks acceptable, because the buttocks are the most cusioned area on the body, and stings, but fades quickly. With only the hand, never an implement. The face, on the other hand, I find abusive and humiliating. It hurts, badly. I also think it tends to be an immediate, angry reaction, therefore, easier to lose control with.

In my opinion, slapping a child across the face is a sign of a lazy parent. There are many ways to discipline children without resorting to humiliating the child (timeout, talking to the child, actually listening!). This is an issue that most people have strong feelings about. Regardless of your personal feelings, if you value your relationship with your wife, you should consider her feelings as equal to your own. If she is truly anti-slap, this could be a make/break issue for the two of you.

If you want your kid to love you and respect you as an adult, please don't do it.

No, I don't see this as fair. I see this as child abuse.

I feel that it is disrespectful. However, I am a 100% proud supporter of spankings, when done in the appropriate time, quantity, and without anger.

NEVER!!!! I have never ever hit my son ... ever!!! :):)

I did it once! I felt terrible! I cried my head off! He was walking by me and stamped on the top of my foot with big boots on.I did it out of instinct.It was the single worst moment in my life! I hope I will never do it again.Of course he is 12 now and can run !!!LOL

no way!!!!!! i cant even slap my big bros (23) then how can i slap a cute little kid :(

Absolutely not... It is completely and totally degrading, mortifying and should NEVER be used on a child because it will always be out of nothing more than anger that you do. it prooves nothing.corrects nothing and causes shame and low self esteem. I know... It was my fathers punishment of choice.

NO...Nature provides a better place there bottoms:)

Not a slap in the face but I have popped mine in the mouth lightly about saying something that they shouldn't and I don't think that is any more harmful to them than if I had taken a belt and beat their ass.

a dont think it shoud make a diffrences if your gunna disiplin your child were you slap him

Fair? no consider your size to theirs. Also there is a greater risk of doing actual damage to the child especially if you slap around the ears, children have been known to go deaf if slapped around the ears too often. If you need to physically chastise your child and it is legal where you live then I don't think it should be any more than a hand to a well padded bottom.

What's fair about an adult slapping a child? I can understand that some punishment is needed but leaving marks on a child's face will only lead to trouble.

No a child should NEVER be slapped in the face.

Slapping ANYONE, no matter their age, is inappropriate. Why? Because no one has the right to lay their hands in a violent manner on another. Again, regardless of their age.

NO! NO! ana NO again! A parent should never slap a child in the face! That is just wrong. If the child is between 2 and 8 a spanking done properly might be OK. Between 9 and 18 grounding or taking privilages away is OK. After 18 and if the child is still living at home they should know how to follow the rules of the parents or they should move out and be on their own.

Absolutely Not..if you slap another adult in the face you can be arrested for assault..to do this to a child is child abuse!!

That is abuse. not punishment. spanking..ok.. slapping abuse

yes

It is. Here in Florida if that child (or a neighbor, your wife, or ANYBODY) calls the police you will be jailed on domestic abuse charges.

I agree with most answers here that slapping is a no-no, I wouldn't dream of hitting my child, but I wanted to add that being slapped in the face is, in addition to being painful and scary, very humiliating, at least that is my experience from the couple of slaps I got as a kid. I remember the humiliation but don't ask me whatever I did to deserve the slap, so that didn't teach me anything except that is is wrong to be fysically hurt by someone you love and rely on.

If it was 1996 I would say no.....But it isnt and the reality of it is that it is childabuse.....I dont hit my child ever...but that didnt stop my loving Italian mother to make sure she did it to me...;)

Yes! You are not a pimp, slapping anyone across the face is abuse. I wouldn't even do that to an animal, let alone a human being!

Yes, I think that is abusive behaviour. I think it is also psychologically damaging. That doesn't mean that I don't ever think that a kid needs a good smack on the ass occasionally ...but generally when we are disciplining children we are not trying to actually physically hurt them as well....just to demonstrate that they should behave....

ERROR! Defective operator. ERROR! Please see comments to my answer.

You don't slap a child open handed in the face. Are you crazy. If you do anything whip their butts, that's why they are connected to our backs. I mean on the butt, nothing else. Slapping on the face will cost you more trouble than what it's worth. And you will recieve no respect from the child when they get older.

What else would you call slapping a child in the face?

Yes. That's what butts are for.

I'd venture to rationalize your conjecture like this: a child has to trust you and in some very real way... trust you when you punish him or her. the judgment should be weighed against your awareness of your physical supremacy and the child's offense! not every child will be inclined to handle a rebuke of that nature with immediate understanding...but, they will be building their own moral compass based on the data they collect from you, every minute not spent sleeping. lay a righteous foundation and a sense of fair play between you and your child and i would venture to say anything physical short of fist fighting will probably be tolerated.

In Florida the legal definition of abuse is anything that leaves a mark for 24 hours or causes injury. In my opinion slapping a child is abusive. I am not necessarily against a spanking on rare occasions but slapping goes to far. Slapping is also more likely to be done in anger. Parents should always calm down and wait before giving punishments.

Yes. Any blow to the head under any circumstances is abusive. The dangers from even an blow which is intended to be light are too great.

Yes. Anytime an adult raises his/her hand to a child and strikes a blow it is child abuse..whether on the face/arm/butt whatever. That is my opinion. Happy Saturday! :)

It is child abuse, like slapping your wife or husband, g/f or b/f is spousal abuse. Hitting when there is no self defense is abuse.

I don't have a kid, but if I did I would never hit him/her in the face. I would however give a good butt whipping.

NO It is never right to slap your kid it's also wrong to hit on the arms legs && body that is a sign of animosity NOT Discipline the spanking is okay (it's even said so in the bible) patting (not SLAPPING, or PUNCHING) the lips is okay, but nothing moree i looked this question up because my mom just slapped me, actually more than once i'm 16 && i'm used to it by now i know it should, but it doesn;t hurt anymore whenever she hits me, i "go numb", && block out whatever pain i may feel i'm better at handling it emotionally now, too i'm not as scared as i was when i was eight but it still makes me soo mad if a kid is reading this, don't be like me && not tell when i was younger, it was just verbal, && emotional abuse, she hit me sometimes but she'd wear this STUPID Smile i see right through she tought it would make me think she was JOKING i knew she wasn't so no matter WHAT Kind of abuse it is, TELL SOMEONE ANYONE && if you have to think "is this abuse??" it is && something that's funny ever since i showed that i didn't care she hits me, && i started defending myself instead of backing down && crying out of fear, she backs down, MUCH Fasterr she even looks like she may be scared not that i wanna scare my MOTHERR, But i DO Want her to stop this cause it's really RUINING Our relationship i've been thinking about it for a while, && if she attacks me again, i may be able to take her but yeah, i guess i'm done