The Editor, Sir:

I am a 32-year-old father of two - a nine-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

Now, we all know that there is a line between punishment and abuse. Nowadays, we believe that if a child is 'spanked; there is a great likelihood that it is abuse and that this child will grow up depressed and have anti-social tendencies.

External influences

Our children are not the same mentality as we were when we were growing up. They have the influence of cable TV, ipod, Internet and music videos as role models.

So, there has to be stricter punishment for the children of today. They are out there in society blatantly embarrassing and disrespecting their parents. They believe that if they are reprimanded they can take up the phone and call the police to report an abuse.

We are really at the mercy of our children, the children that will end up committing crimes and have society look at us as being bad parents for not raising our offspring the right way.

We have a responsibility as parents to raise our children in the way they should grow so when they get old they will not depart from it.

I am, etc.,

GARETH NESBETH

garethnesbeth@yahoo.com