To spank or not to spank?

Were you spanked as a child? I was, and so was Mike and not to brag, but we both have turned out pretty well. We are not emotionally scarred  from this for of punishment that we choosing to avoid but what is the best way to discipline your child?

There are many factors when it comes to deciding what to do. Age is a factor. There are age appropriate punishments that seem to work best with toddlers, preschoolers, teens, etc. Every child is so different and needs to be corrected in way that is effective. Is that why so many spank? It's true, none of us want to be hit. Can you imagine as an adult if your mother or father disliked your behavior and struck you? Is this the same thing as hitting your child? It would be humiliating. I would lose respect for my parent, I would be angry and bitter and feel that I could not trust them or rely on them. Does spanking affect your child more than you think? If we are trying to get our children to respect us I believe that we also need to respect them.

OUR GENERATION
All my friends got spanked. Some with bare hands, belts, twigs, sticks, wooden spoons, wooden paddles... some of these tools for punishment had names and labels. Most of my friends do not want to spank or only do it as a last resort when nothing else is working. We all turned out pretty good so again I admit that it IS effective, but that is not what molded us into who we are. The top definition to the word discipline is "training to act in accordance with rules" according to www.dictionary.com. That is what I am going for. I don't want to always resort to punishment which is defined below.

pun·ish·ment

   [puhn-ish-muhnt]  Show IPA

noun

1.

the act of punishing.

2.

the fact of being punished,  as for an offense or fault.

3.

a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc.

4.

severe handling or treatment.