The Herald is running a week-long series on the smacking debate. On Saturday we looked at changing smacking habits, today we cover parents' stories. To tell us your stories, go to the Your Views discussion. Or you can follow the debate on our facebook page.
Children's accounts suggest that most smacking is confined to a young age group of around 2 to 8.
Eleven of the 14 Rangeview Intermediate pupils interviewed by the Herald who have been smacked say it was well before their present age of 11 or 12 - in three cases so far in the past that they can't remember it at all. Only two have been smacked this year and one about a year ago.
"I was smacked when I was younger, like 7 or 8," said Charlotte.
"I think once or twice, I can't really remember, I was probably about 7 or something," said Sam.
"When I was little, I think, but I can't remember anything," said Lily.
Jack has been smacked "only if I'm really naughty".
Emma was smacked four months ago for "playfighting", but says she is not smacked very often.
Jason was smacked often. The last time was two weeks before the interview for fighting with his little sister.
"Dad sent me to my room. He gave me a smack. It didn't hurt because I'm used to it, because me and my Dad playfight a lot," he said. He was hit harder a few months ago when he was playfighting and hurt his sister.
The children support smacking younger children only. Ben nominates the ages of 5 to 7 "because they are naughty, then when you're older you are good".
A 2005 Otago University masters study by Terry Dobbs, based on focus group interviews with 80 children aged 5 to 14, also found that physical punishment declined with age from 58 per cent of children aged 5 to 7 to 42 per cent of those aged 9 to 11 and 29 per cent of those aged 12 to 14. Her study also found that support for physical punishment increased with age. Asked "Is it okay to smack or not okay to smack?" none of the 5- to 7-year-olds said it was okay, but this increased to 20 per cent of those aged 9 to 11 and 58 per cent of those aged 12 to 14.
