Some Americans think this is normal parenting.<p>Europeans think hitting your children is abhorrent - many EU countries have made it illegal.<p>If someone posted messages about hitting their spouse they&#x27;d have similarly strong responses. And there&#x27;s no difference. The people who hit their children use the same language that was used by people who used corporal punishment on their wives.<p>In this situation a parent didn&#x27;t keep their child safe in a potentially dangerous situation (by their own admission the child was poking things into an electrical socket).  And for that lack of parental awareness the child gets hit?<p>It&#x27;s a revolting interference with the child&#x27;s human rights and I have no problem telling violent bullies that their behaviour fails to meet the standards a decent society demands.