KEY POINTS:
When it comes to the smacking debate, the young Refiti siblings of Auckland are divided.
Madalena, 6, says in a shy whisper that parents should be able to smack their children.
Her older brother Cato, 8, isn't so sure. He initially says he's against smacking - then reasons it could be okay in certain circumstances.
"They are only allowed to do it only if they [children] are really, really naughty."
The Richmond Road School pupils' mother, Lynda Simmons, supports the move in Parliament because she believes hitting doesn't set a good example.
She says if parents smack it is usually done "out of a place of anger" and, in that state, choosing another option is usually the better way to go.
Heated debate in the capital about the physical punishment of children affects youngsters around the country.
The Herald spoke to littlies in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby yesterday and found most knew about the issue.
The majority don't think their parents' discipline needs curtailing.
Bianca Tolmie, 5, is a fan of time out.
Meanwhile, Sheaziah Compain, 10, says the legislation was a bad idea.
"They shouldn't change what's been happening for years."
He says he used to get a smack quite a bit when his dad thought he wasn't listening. But those days are over.
"One day in the car my dad said, 'Son, you are old enough not to get smacked any more'."
Sheaziah's mother, Lana Compain, says defining the difference between a smack and a "hiding" was one problematic issue in a complex topic. She says whenever one of her children is punished physically, it comes with a discussion about what happened.
She was not happy with the bill in its original form and welcomes the inclusion of a clause saying police should prosecute only if they believed it was in the public interest.
