Student's killer on parole
Charges after investigation
Hostage was on captor 
Regulating power prices
Gen X is raking it in
LeBlanc laying groundwork
US vetoes UN resolution
$100M Nassar settlement
12 Trump jurors picked
Rates slow green economy
Vicinity hires president,
Record housing starts
Warriors ready for Round 2
Kalamalka Bowl cancelled
Rockets live to fight on
Rihanna's parenting ‘hack’
Tarantino scraps film
Munn talks cancer battle
Castanet readers responded in a big way to a recent story and subsequent poll about a Salmon Arm mother and father who were found guilty of assault for hitting their child for punishment.
The couple used a small plastic hockey stick and a skipping rope to spank their 14-year-old daughter after they caught her ‘sexting.’
More than 6,000 people voted in the Castanet poll which asked, ‘Should spanking be illegal?’
A large majority, 75 per cent, of respondents said spanking should not be made illegal. Nineteen per cent voted in favour of banning the practice, while 5.5 per cent were undecided.
In the comments section, the issue of the line between discipline and abuse was debated.
“There is a big difference between a spanking and beating a child with an object,” wrote Larry.
“There's a big difference between beating the heck out of a kid (bad) and a swat on the bottom or the hand when a kid keeps reaching for a pot of boiling water on the stove (good),” wrote wickedscholar.
Some commenters in the story felt more corporal punishment in society would help young people become “tougher.”
“If it was up to me I would bring the cane back to schools,” wrote Still. “Get a little discipline and toughness back into this society.”
Many disagreed with this sentiment though.
“These comments are disturbing,” wrote Msad. “I will assume most of the pro-beating comments are from people who haven't cracked a parenting book......... Ever!”
While most felt spanking should not be outlawed, many of the commenters on Castanet felt the parents in the Salmon Arm case were in the wrong.
“Spanking a child with your hand only is perfectly fine and even necessary at times,” wrote Karen C. “However a plastic hockey stick and a skipping rope are not!”
“Spanking is fine,” wrote Aitaix. “I think it's just not OK when Dad grabs a mini hockey stick and mom grabs a skipping rope because ‘the hand is supposed to be used for loving,’ what a crock of crap. Spank the kids all you want, but don't put something between your hand and the child.”
The Salmon Arm parents have yet to be sentenced.
