Should Parents Use Spanking as a Form of Punishment?

There are many different opinions on whether or not you should spank your children. I personally was brought up with spankings and there seems to be no harm done. There's a new age of time outs and noses in the corner. Are we doing what's right by not enforcing the same type of punishments our parents chose for us?

In defense of not spanking, there are several reasons the cynics disapprove of this mild form of corporate punishment. They say it can teach your child that being violent is the way to deal with the things they don't approve, which is contradictory to "violence is not the way."

It can also make the child feel as if there is something wrong with them rather than there is something wrong with their behavior. They also say that spanking renders any other form of communication between you and your child.

Now to counter the claims with my own personal opinion, I don't think it is teaching your child to be violent. On the other hand I think it is teaching them that if they don't behave the way they should, there will be consequences. I think it is very similar to adults going to jail. If as an adult you 'behave' a way you shouldn't and commit a crime, there will be consequences.

You can't put your kid in jail, and the corner or time out will not be remembered as greatly as a spanking. Any of the times I've ever spanked my children we sat down afterwards and I told them I still loved them even though what they did was not the way they were taught to behave. I never tell them I'm spanking them because they were bad or they ARE bad.

I let them know that the way they were acting or behaving was not good. My general psychology teacher, whom used to be employed by DSS, stated that if we choose to spank our children safely from the law we should use our hands only on their butts. I agree with this, I think the belt is a little on the cruel side. I also don't think that the corner or time out should be kicked to the curb entirely.