Half of parents in The Hague think giving a child aged one to five a ‘light slap’ is an acceptable form on punishment, according to city council research involving one thousand parents and people who hope to have children.

The aim of the research was to draw up a list of helpful hints for parents. Psychologist Rene Diekstra said parents were not aware that slapping a child is counter-productive.
Among the other findings: two-thirds of parents were not aware that repeatedly picking up a crying three-month-old baby is good for brain development.
And a majority did not realise that allowing a two-year-old to leave the dining table while everyone else was eating is bad for setting behavioural boundaries.