A STILTWALKER showed York parents how scary it is to be hit by someone twice your size today as part of a new children's charity campaign.

Street performer Jane Earnshaw was highlighting the launch of the NSPCC's Full Stop campaign to try to reduce the hitting of children.

Equipped with two enormous red hands, the stiltwalker gave parents in York a child's eye view of hitting.

The charity wants to help parents discipline their children without hitting them and would like the Government to get the message across to parents.

York NSPCC campaign officer Fiona Mallon said: "The whole point of the event today is to show people what it's like to be smacked from a child's point of view.

"It's all to do with how big and powerful adults can be and how small and weak children are.

"Of course we are not hitting anyone today - all we are doing is giving out balloons."

The NSPCC today revealed the findings of a survey showing that hitting their children leaves most parents feeling bad and apologetic.

More than three-quarters of parents who physically punish their children feel upset afterwards.

And over two-thirds of parents who have physically punished their children apologise for their behaviour afterwards.

Updated: 11:49 Wednesday, May 08, 2002