Perth mother arrested after smacking her 4-year old son.

The Pope says it’s ok as long as you do it with dignity. The Australian law allows it with ‘reasonable force’, in fact 69% of Australian parents say they do it. But this Perth mother has just been arrested for smacking her child.

Just days after the Pope said it was ok to smack a child – and that sometimes it could be ‘beautiful’ a Perth mother-of-three has been charged with assault by police for allegedly slapping her four-year-old son across the face.

The mother was shopping with her two four-year old twins and her six-year old when the alleged assault took place.

It is claimed that the four-year old had bitten into an apple that had not yet been paid for by his mother while they were out buying groceries.

So, the mother slapped him across the face.

The mother was then shocked to be arrested and have the Department of Child Protection arrest her.

The 34-year old woman’s husband who called himself John called Radio 6PR to say he was angry at the police treatment.

“She struck the four-year-old, after biting an apple that hadn’t been paid for by his mother,” he said.

“She was pulled over in the car park after leaving the shopping centre after paying for the apple that was stolen effectively.

“She was pulled over by police and told she would be either arrested or have the DCP (Department of Child Protection) approach her in the next 24 hours.

“It wouldn’t be three hours later they choose to come to our home address and arrest her immediately in front of the children with no real explanation.”

He justified the slap to the preschooler’s head saying that she actually wasn’t aiming for his face.

Related content: The Pope says smacking is ok as long as it is done with dignity.

“My wife does have arthritis, so her discipline below the head has been laughed at in the past, so she was aware of that, so she slapped my son to the side of the face, which was probably uncalled for but it was done. He was rebelling at bit… she clipped him at the side of the face, not necessarily aiming for that.”

The father says that his wife struck him twice but wasn’t injured and according to this Dad it was ok, as the four-year old “didn’t have a mark on him”

Police were so concerned though that they examined the other children in his wife’s car.

“All my son remembers straight after the incident is the police taking away his mum,” he said.

“I was mortified,” he said. “Had I not come home in time, they would have got some family member to look after the kids.”

John said the police should have just given his wife a warning.

“I’m 32-years-old and she’s 34… we received that kind of discipline as children,” he said.

But he accepted that what his wife did was “not acceptable” as she didn’t “warn” the four-year old he was about to be struck.

” I know things have changed over the last decade, you need to know this is not acceptable.

“By default we were meant to know what happened to us as children shouldn’t be passed on without any forewarning.”

Related content: QLD politician slaps child in public. 

In Western Australia, like many states “reasonable force” in certain circumstances is allowed.

Reaction on social media has been varied with the usual arguments about how parents should be allowed to discipline their children. What some do point out though is that there is continued research showing smacking does harm in the long term.

“A smack is a smack but physical and mental abuse is terrible. She smacked her child in public, god only knows what goes on behind closed doors. Think about it”

”Civil libs gone crazy. No wonder there is no discipline around these days. Slaps over the wrists don’t teach anyone anything.”

 “I wonder how humiliated/ angry/ upset she would be if someone she is supposed to trust slapped her across the face. Disgusting.”

“A smack or clip round the ear does not and never has constituted child abuse. Not disciplining your children and not teaching them basic respect and manners is far worse. That is the problem.”

 “This horrifies me. As a mother of a 5yr old boy, I cannot imagine EVER slapping him across the face/head. If someone did it to the mother they’d be charged with assault.”

The mother will now face court over the matter.

What do you think? Is this ‘reasonable’ parenting?