Is smacking EVER okay? Psychologist dad-of-six issues stern warning to all parents after strict father admits to using the punishment on controversial new reality show
- Parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson says it’s never okay to smack a child
- It comes after reality TV show Parental Guidance debuted on Monday night
- The controversial new experiment compares the parenting styles of 10 families
- Many admitted to hitting their children, sparking heated debate on Twitter
Australian parenting expert and father of six Dr Justin Coulson
A psychologist has given his take on whether smacking a child is ever acceptable, after a controversial experiment comparing the parenting styles of ten Australian families debuted on Monday night.
Weighing in on issues raised in Channel Nine’s new reality TV series Parental Guidance, co-host Dr Justin Coulson warned that smacking is never helpful.
‘Parenting pushes your limits. It pushes your buttons. It makes you question everything about who you thought you were,’ he said.
‘But the research is really clear. Smacking does not serve our children well. It doesn’t help them to grow or develop.’
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‘Strict’ Christian father Andrew is slapped by his eldest son Luke during a challenge in which they swapped roles for the day on controversial new reality show, Parental Guidance
The father-of-six went even further to say that smacking can damage and ‘shrink’ a child’s brain.
‘In fact just recently there’s been new studies come out that talk about how harsh punitive parenting, including smacking, is associated with reduced brain size,’ he explained.
He added: ‘Children live what they learn. It’s important to think about what you want them to be.’
Hosted by Dr Coulson alongside mother-of-two Allison Langdon, Parental Guidance has already sparked heated debate after the first episode introduced viewers to ‘strict parents’ Andrew, 39, and Miriam, 41.
The couple raise their children Luke, 12, Grace, 10, and five-year-old Tim with rigid rules and physical punishments – including smacking.
Others included ‘natural’ parents who live together in a tent and let their children read ‘when they are ready’, as well as a couple who treat their daughter like an adult in a ‘French style’ of parenting.
The opinionated parents were put to the test in a series of challenges against their kids.
The first challenge – in which the children were given a map and instructed to direct their parents through Adelaide CBD – went smoothly, with confident son Luke informing his strict Christian minister dad Andrew that ‘he’s got this’.
But a second challenge which saw the kids and parents swap roles for an ‘opposite day’ quickly showed cracks appearing in the NSW father’s regimented approach.
The next experiment: Parental Guidance sees Allison Langdon (right) and Dr Justin Coulson (left) moderate as parents confront each other over their different styles
The children were given carte blanche to green light activities for their parents, with Luke and Grace quickly reverting to a disciplinary approach that included threatening punishments and brandishing a wooden spoon.
At this point, Andrew and Miriam admitted to occasionally using smacking as a ‘correction’ tool to discipline their children.
‘All right, guys, just to make sure you understand there are some forms of discipline. All right?’ Luke says, spoon in hand as he gleefully orders his dad to go to his room.
Grace then takes the spoon to her mother in a semi-serious fashion, prompting Miriam to exclaim: ‘Please stop smacking me. I don’t like it.’
Same-sex couple Brett and Tony and their kids (pictured together), who are two sets of twins born on the same day from two surrogate mothers from India
While the exchanges were playful, the other parents, brought in to sit in a Survivor-like tribal council of judgement, raised concerns about how the children were being taught to deal with problems.
Andrew defended himself, saying: ‘With corporal punishment, we see a smack as one tool in a parenting toolbox – and it’s by no means the first.
But one of the group hit back: ‘Just be careful what you’re internalising there.’
Mother Donna, 40, who together with husband, Yann, is a proponent of the French style of parenting which involves treating children as equals, went one step further.
‘We would never smack our child. We feel very strongly about this. It’s a form of abuse,’ she said.
Liadhan and Richard are home-schooling their children (pictured together) from their tent and are letting them learn to read ‘when they’re ready’
Andrew clapped back: ‘My parents smacked me and I don’t harbour any resentment towards them.’
Donna replied: ‘Stockholm syndrome.’
In what is perhaps the episode’s most emotional moment, Andrew eventually admits the role reversal exercise caused him to revaluate some of his principles.
‘After that challenge, yeah, we were a bit confronted by, you know, is that really how they see us?’ he mused.
The group is unanimous in rejecting corporal punishment, but when Langdon asks how many have smacked their children – half the hands in the room go up.
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