Dad under fire for shocking public punishment of two-year-old son

“I think most people who hold this position either don’t have a lot of kids or don’t have any kids at all,” the man's wife claimed.

A dad, and leader of the ‘pronatalist’ movement, has come under fire after he slapped his two-year-old son “across the face” in the middle of a news interview.

The Guardian journalist Jenny Kleeman interviewed Malcolm Collins and his wife, Simone, for a weekend feature when the shocking incident occurred.

Kleeman wrote she was “speechless” when Mr Collins hit his son, Torsten, “like a reflex in the face” while at a restaurant.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

She said the toddler had “knocked the table with his foot and caused it to teeter”.

“It is not a heavy blow, but it is a slap with the palm of his hand direct to his two-year-old son’s face that’s firm enough for me to hear on my voice recorder when I play it back later,” she wrote.

“And Malcolm has done it in the middle of a public place, in front of a journalist, who he knows is recording everything.”

RELATED: Mum called 'manipulative' for using old school discipline on son

Malcolm Collins, 37, who heads up a 'pronatalist' movement encouraging large families, came under fire after smacking his two-year-old in the face during an interview with The Guardian. Picture: Instagram

Dad compares discipline to tigers

News.com.au reports smacking is not illegal in the state of Pennsylvania, where the interview occurred, but Ms Kleeman noted “the way Malcolm has done it - so casually, so openly, and to such a young child - leaves me speechless”.

Once Malcolm had noticed the journalist’s discomfort, he came up with a bizarre reason for his behaviour.

He told Ms Kleeman he and his wife “have developed a parenting style based on something Simone observed when she saw tigers in the wild; they react to bad behaviour from their cubs with a paw, a quick negative response in the moment, which they find effective with their own kids”.

“I was just giving you the context so you don’t think I’m abusive or something,” he said in the interview.

RELATED: My partner gave me 'the ick' after he aggressively tried to discipline my kid

The couple insist they only ever apply corporal punishment — which is legal in Pennsylvania — as a corrective measure when a child is potentially in danger. Picture: Instagram

"There's no tolerance for any personal inconvenience"

After the interview, Malcolm told the New York Post there was an “active movement” to take his children away.

He said he and Simone, who is currently pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, only used corporal punishment during potentially dangerous situations.

“The table topple fell into the category of something that could cause serious harm to himself or others,” he said.

“At a table full of infants, knocking it over could easily kill someone.”

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

He also defended the family’s “bopping system” as a personal decision, and claimed the outrage from the interview was from people trying to “conflate light discomfort with abuse”.

“This is where trigger warnings come from, or the idea that being offended or offending someone is a form of violence,” he said.

“There’s no tolerance for any form of emotional or personal inconvenience.”

RELATED: Is it ever OK to discipline someone else's kid?

Malcolm and his wife Simone, 36, started a foundation dedicated to the movement, which counts tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn as supporters. Picture: Instagram

Mum defends controversial discipline practice

Simone told the New York Post she was initially extremely against any form of physical punishment, but claims she now thinks “practically” about what will “aid (her) child’s survival and safety”.

“I think most people who hold this position either don’t have a lot of kids or don’t have any kids at all,” she said.

The Couple told The Guardian they intend to have at least seven children.

Originally published as Dad under fire for shocking public punishment of two-year-old son