Nursery World - Media watch (87)

The smacking debate reached a climax this week as the Government ruled that mothers or fathers caught smacking their children could face up to five years in jail, if they leave a mark on the child's body. But according to Terry Grange, child protection spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, the impact of a smack has little to do with force. It's down to the softness of your hands - determined by your social class - and perhaps whether or not you regularly moisturise. He told MPs, 'Working class families tend to have much rougher hands than lawyers, bankers, etc', the Daily Mail reported.

But according to Terry Grange, child protection spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, the impact of a smack has little to do with force. It's down to the softness of your hands - determined by your social class - and perhaps whether or not you regularly moisturise. He told MPs, 'Working class families tend to have much rougher hands than lawyers, bankers, etc', the Daily Mail reported.

New research involving brain scans in children counters the theory that children should be left to cry. The Observer reported on Professor Margot Sunderland's study that found that 'controlled crying' not only damages babies' brains but also produces angry, anxious adults.

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