What Constitutes Corporal Punishment and How Much is Too Much

So you think you should spank your child, or you are for the school doing it. What is a fair amount of punishment? How do you know that you are not crossing the line into abuse?

Some would argue that any amount of corporal punishment is abuse, but they are wrong. No child is going to have nightmares for the rest of their life or turn evil because their dad spanked their tushie when they were three. So let's just drop that argument now.

Of course it is a fine line though. You can't go too far. You can't spank your child to the point of hurting them. That is wrong, and I would want anyone that did that to have their child taken away. However, a spanking does not fall into that category, as long as you aren't hitting for distance.

The best way to spank your child is to use your hand. This way you know how much force is being put into it. You can feel how much it hurts, and adjust accordingly. Starting out with a light 'pop' is best, especially if the child is a toddler. You can then increase the spankings as they get older. To me, if you are hurting your own hand when you spank your child, then you are going too far. If you cross that line, you are bordering on abuse, but of course that is my personal opinion.

Is a switch crossing the line? That would depend on how hard you are spanking with it. I would say not, but you need to be willing to test it on yourself. Otherwise, you will never know how much is too much. If you can't say for sure, then don't do it. And as a side note, if you do choose a switch for spanking, make sure that your child keeps their clothes on. Doing it on bare skin, to me, is crossing the line.

The clothes issue, to me, goes for any form of spanking besides the hand. I just feel that would be abuse.

Some forms of punishment I personally would never use. A belt is one of them. I'm sure there are some that could spank with it, and it wouldn't be any different that with a switch or hand. But just fell that using a belt takes a spanking to whole new level. To the level of beating, and that crosses the line.