Giving your kids a smack

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Just want to say thanks to Anna in Sweden for sending a very touching and personal account of her struggle to have children. And to Alma in the US who says I should consider not having children at all, because of the kind of world they’d have to live in. Much food for thought….!Well, it’s kids again today, but we’re not discussing the merits of having or not having them…What on earth you do when they misbehave? How many of you have had your child throwing a tantrum in public, refusing to listen, demanding attention, or a toy? How do you discipline them?

IT’S RIGHT TO GIVE THEM A GOOD SMACK

It works, right? Your child pays attention, knows you’re in charge, and usually stops being belligerent. Older kids who constantly talk back and constantly challenge you know you’re serious if you give them a smack. But if you do already smack your child, what is and isn’t acceptable? Can you hit them anywhere but the face? How hard is hard enough?What if you banned smacking, as some countries have already done? How would you enforce such a law? Do you inspect children at school and report their parents to the police? If you were a teacher facing such an obligation, would you feel duty bound to follow the law? Or would you talk to the parents first?

Here’s the story
Here’s the background
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BURMA CALLING

It’s been a month since the protests in Burma were brutally suppressed. Here at the BBC, we’ve been trying to hear from people inside the country to find out how the crackdown has affected them. Despite the odds, one of our producers has managed to communicate to people by email. The link is below. We’ll hear from her and we want to know what you think of the news that Aung Saan Suu Kyi has met Burmese military leaders in Rangoon.Here’s the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7061458.stm
Read personal experiences here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7058610.stm
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Anthems

Have you ever heard the Spanish National anthemhttp://spainforvisitors.com/Article178.htm

You may have noticed that it doesn’t have any words…?Well in Spain on Friday it is the deadline for entry into a competition to decide on lyrics for The Spanish Marcha Real (Royal March) national anthem, which has been played without words since the death of former dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975.

That got me thinking would you like to change the lyrics of your national anthem?

Why not send us the first verses of a new anthem for your country… We could read them on air, throughout the programme.

Post your comments here: http://www.worldhaveyoursay

Burma

Earlier today Aung San Suu Kyi was taken from her closely guarded home and driven to a state guesthouse in Rangoon. It’s believed she met a government minister who was recently appointed as a liaison between Burma’s democracy icon and the country’s military rulers. Is this the first sign of breakthough talks?  

 http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/25/asia/AS-GEN-Myanmar-Suu-Kyi.php

Pro-democracy advocates had hoped that last month’s protests would galvanize world opinion and create enough outside pressure to force the junta’s leaders to the bargaining table.   One man I spoke to yesterday told me that: “People in Burma are living with fear but are very angry.  The country is a timebomb and if the international community can’t intervene there will be more uprisings which will be brutally cutdown”.  Is he right? We’d like to hear from you?

 Post your comments here: http://www.worldhaveyoursay.wordpress