I scare my kids all the time. It always done while playing and they laugh about it! I would never just scare them to be cruel.

 Dad used to scare me in a playful way... He would tell scary stories at night and really scare me...telling the tale of the dark rainy night, with the creeking stairs...and then the big BOO! He also used to walk ahead of me and jump out from around a corner and say boo! He always got me! It was scary but it was fun! He meant no harm. He was always my hero... When I was scared he'd come to my rescue. I think if parents were more playful and innocent in their scare tactics, it could be a lot of fun... If it were done in a mean way, that would be horrific. The parent needs to judge how the child reacts and act accordingly. If a child is frightened to death... They should stop.

 I say that u can scare a child if the child done something bad or something like that

 My parents scare me on purpose all the time. It is fun! Lol I love it. As long as nobody Scared to the point of injury or traumatized for life, it is quite ok to scare children. For example, Halloween.

 Scaring a little child is bad and cruel. But it can be fun if they are older. I've been scared by an adult before. I was 7 and this guy put on a scary mask and jumped out and scared me, but it didn't bother me and today I find it funny when I look back on it!

 If its just for fun and you are not going over board with it i think its okay.

 This greatly depends on the child. My children get excited and laugh when I "scare" them. I avoid scaring my neighbor's kid because he gets greatly upset easily. To bottom line it. Yes if it's for fun, No if it's for punishment or the child can't handle it.

 Not if it's done in a playful manor unless it upsets the child! If so WHY would any sane person continue?

 If it is in a playful way I see nothing wrong with it. Its just fun, no harm intended.

 If it is done in fun this is good. Who hasn't yelled "Boo!" at a friend while playing or having fun? But, after reading other responses on the opposite side, this can be a bad thing if abused.

 I do it all the time.

 If its all fun and games then it is ok but if it is more serious and it scares the child mentally then i think it is wrong you should not play mind games

 My kids do those kind of things to me. So I do it back. It's all for fun!!

 If your child is ok with it and some times does it to you it is ok. Every thing is good in moderation.

 My children love playing like that we hide and jump out, my 3 year old daughter loves hiding and jumping out at me yelling bo-bo mommy, its really cute but i don't think scaring a child should be taken to far.

 There are levels of fear, A slight fear creates respect in some cases, sense of humor in others, and potentially can help them loose irrational fears that children could be born with. A continuous fear of the unknown can be hazardous to their own life's achievement, it's probably best to show that fears can be overcome through experience! Is the intention to make them loose bodily function?