Apologists immediatley confuse sensible chastisement with abuse, but if anything the incidence of genuine abuse is rising higher than ever, even with the ‘no smacking’ ideas being almost the norm. I’ll get the violin out again, but in the 50’s it was not unusual to see a group of mothers rounding up their children ready for bed, not to see at least one of them carrying a folded up belt or stick with which to countenance any thoughts of ‘not doing what you are told’.
Dr D again provides an uncompromising reply to my question about allowing female staff to supervise boys in changing and showering. He is quite right that the duty of care along with health and safety overide any other considerations when push comes to shove, however just for a moment, consider the remote possibility of the same thing with the genders reversed.