This Morning kicked off its Friday episode with a VERY divisive debate about whether smacking should be made illegal.
The discussion followed on from the Scottish Government’s announcement that smacking your child will be banned under a new law.
Unsurprisingly, it led to a heated discussion between two women on very different ends of the spectrum – and viewers who voiced their own conflicting opinions.
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Mum-of-four Shona Sibery defended smacking, while Anna May Magden, who also has four children, firmly agreed with outlawing smacking.
Explaining why she has smacked her kids, Shona said: “There are many different types of discipline and smacking does work on occasion – sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.
“Younger children, as a shock tactic, if I feel they are imminently in danger… sometimes it’s a way of demonstrating something words just can’t at that moment in time. I haven’t always smacked, it’s not always the most effective form of punishment.”
Shona added: “I slapped my teenage daughter. She called me a [bleep] to my face. What am I supposed to do? Say go to the naughty step…”
However, Anna May firmly disagreed, saying: “It is wrong. It’s bullying, it’s violence.”
Shona retorted: “It’s not, it’s discipline within the loving context of a relationship. There was a survey in America that the negative effects of smacking are off-set by the physical maternal love that comes after.”
Anna May branded that a “load of rubbish” and added of the Scottish law: “It’s civilising how we bring up our children which I think is fantastic.”
Shona defended her position by saying there are “other things far more damaging to the child than smacking. Marital disharmony. Arguing in front of the child.”
Ruth Langsford then chipped in to say she’s smacked her son Jack on a handful of occasions but only where she had lost control, and she always felt bad afterwards.
Shona agreed she has smacked on occasions where she regretted it as it wasn’t the “appropriate response at that time” but also said her child had not been damaged in the long term.
There was a discussion about the parents who don’t stop at smacking and could take things one step further, and also whether or not smacking children teaches them that violence is acceptable.
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Naturally, fans were quick to react on social media from both sides of the divide.
Some agreed with Shona and felt a law on banning smacking was a step too far.
Others felt past generations had been smacked and been better behaved for it.
Some felt smacking shouldn’t be confused with “abuse” or “beating”.
Many more, meanwhile, agreed with Anna and backed a ban on smacking.
As always, another very divisive debate courtesy of This Morning.