Is physical punishment ok as long as there's no mark?

A while ago my girlfriend parents froced to go to the police to confess to something stupid she did. While at the police station, her parents asked about physical punishment. The police explained to her parents that physical punishment is ok as...

long as it doesn't leave a mark.
My girlfriend got told this from her parents, but they've been known to tell fibs previously, so I just wanted to confirm it. I live in Australia incase the laws are different else where.

yeeeaaahhh... I'm pretty sure you can't punish your kids physically. Even if it doesn't leave a mark it's against the law to hit a kid. At least it is here.

wow ok here in the U.S if you hit your kids and they tell on you they take yo kids from you

there is no law in the u.s preventing parents from "spanking." it is however, against the law to use excessive force or harm a child in doing so, such as leaving a mark. There has to be evidence that the parent used excessive force, children are not just taken from homes because their parents spanked them.

No im from australia too & its illegal to abuse your children.

Ok, so does that mean that even spanking your child isn't alright? because some of you'se are saying different things.

I use time outs for my child...all I do is have him sit in a chair(age=the amount of minutes) tell him why hes sitting there..and whens hes done I tell him again why he was there and give him a hug and tell him I love him-works every time-no hitting ever!!

Dear here_4_us,
Each country and state may be different but one thing is not different is if you leave a mark on your child that is child abuse. Canada has a spanking law; it states you can spank your child on the behind only and if you do it cannot leave a mark. Some countries like Sweden I believe you cannot spank a child at all. If spanking worked you'd only have to do it once but we know it does not work and that is why some areas do not allow it.
Sue...good luck

Ther are many ways to discipline kids. It depends on your child and what technique works best for them. Abuse is never an option. Some people use time out methods and they work. Others watch their kids take advantaage of time out methods, so they spank their kids. I personally don't see anything wrong with physically disciplining your kids as long as you are not abusing them. It is a difference.

Well, I am in a believer in a good firm spanking on the hand or on the butt. But as far as slapping, kicking, punching a kid. that is a big no no.
Spanking a child is not meant to hurt them, it is meant to DISCIPLINE them. It's all out of love unless you are doing it out of anger. By spanking a child you are correcting them for there wrong. But I would advise you not to spank them out of anger, because they will know that you are angry, and if you do it out of anger you will probably try to hit them as hard as you can. So try spanking them when you are calm and do it out of love to correct the child. Otherwise you the child will be in control and think that they wo n't get in trouble for the stuff the do.
If you don't want to give them a spanking, then a time out is good. Put them in timeout. however old they are is how long they have to stay in time out. If they get up before time is up then take them back without saying anything until they sit there for the full time.

I am fully against it! Kids will HATE you for it. There are two types of respect: Military Respect (what you'll get through spanking), and family loving respect (from tolerence)

No.

I dated a police officer for over 10 years and it don't matter where you live there is NO officer that will say its ok because its not. So who ever said they did ok it is a lier

If they misbehave then ground them from what they like doing,
PlayStation, xbox ,tv, phone, ect...
It worked will all 3 of my kids and I never needed any kind of physical punishment