I REFER to the letter printed in the Citizen on May 2 from R Schofield. It started off perfectly sensibly but after the first few lines it made me shudder. It became fairly obvious that this man was advocating the use of physical punishment against children as if that would somehow cure the evils of today's society!

What rubbish. Thank goodness that a growing number of people (in fact now a majority) now believe that there are much more effective ways of disciplining children such as explaining, reasoning, discussion, reward systems, being fair but firm and, most importantly, parents and other adults acting as good role models.

Hitting children is just a lesson in bad behaviour. How can we expect children to grow up responsibly and non-violently when we still allow aggressive and violent behaviour towards them in this so called civilised society?

I have two young children and I do not resort to physical punishment to discipline them. I use much more effective methods -- I treat them as human beings and listen to them. Yes, they do know where "the line in the sand" is and, like most children, they are occasionally naughty. This does not mean they need to live in a climate of fear to learn from their mistakes.

As their parents, my husband and I do take full responsibility for them. However, it can be helpful and healthy to listen to and sometimes take on board the advice of professionals such as health visitors, teachers and agencies such as the NSPCC who promote positive parenting.

May 8 was the NSPCC's children's day. This year they are focusing on alternatives to hitting children. If anyone is concerned about the welfare of a child they know they can contact the NSPCC helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000.

Mrs T Martin-Brooks, West Drive, Thornton Cleveleys.