Irritation

[ladysilverice]

I think, as some of you have said above, it's all about balance. Beating a child is absolutely out of the question, a child should never actually FEAR their parent. But physical punishment is definitely an acceptable form of discipline. When I was spanked as a child, my parents always made sure they hugged me afterward and had me tell them what I did wrong, apologize for it and then they would try and tell me a joke or play a game with me to cheer me up and show me that they loved me. I didn't get disciplined often when I was young because I was the quiet child, but I made up for as a teen... Just ask Ka-Ta. :p Anyways, physical discipline can help show a child that the "fun" bad thing they're doing isn't so fun when their butt ends up hurting. But like I said, a balance of discipline and love really, in my opinion, is the best way to raise a child.