At the time, definitely. A day, week, or month later? Not at all. Being spanked as discipline^[1] barely hurts. You may be surprised what your backside can take. It stings at the time, and might burn for a few minutes, but it fades in time like anything else. In my experience and from my foggy memories I'd say 5 to 10 minutes later you don't feel it anymore. Or if you were really bad, probably 30 tops. In this Feminist society it seems to be so foreign to a lot of people, but 100 years ago (at least in North America) I think it was pretty universal.

Here's a random clip from a TV show made in the 70s that references spanking a girl as discipline and nobody bats an eye (even the ~6 year old sister wittily remarks, "[she's gonna get it!]"):

I would imagine that 100 years ago there just wasn't time for parents to manage "time outs", etc. You needed punishment that got the message across without having to babysit them 24/7. Something that they'd remember and fear in the future. To me it makes perfect sense. Hell, I've never seen a parent capable of keeping their eye on a child long enough to follow through with "time-out". And the second you turn your back that child is goofing around again. It becomes a game of, "who can do this all day, the 5 year old or the 30 year old?"

I am actually baffled that people are so opposed to spanking today. I imagine most of those people were never spanked. And a few were maybe abused instead of disciplined. And of course, there's also the Feminist influence in society...

Can't say I resent my parents for using a belt on me. I resent them for flying off the handle at every little thing: Leaving a book on the coffee table could result in an hour long swear session and an ass beating. That, I think is lamentable. Mother is a high stress person.

As for AK's link:

People almost make me lose my top. I swear. I was standing in the foyer of my Credit Union awaiting the ATM, as there was already people waiting to make transactions. A mother and her 5 or 6 year old came and waited beside me. The little kid shit was playing on his iPhone ( ) and stood in the middle of the doors. Now BOTH sets of double doors open into the foyer. The kid would almost get hit with a set, and absentmindedly move to the other doors (rinse, repeat). Meanwhile I listen to his mother chide "Watch out, Johnny." "People are coming, Johnny." "Johnny, stand beside mommy." A good 30 times in about 10 minutes. Then he got sick of almost getting hit by doors, and started a 5 minute argument with his mother about him going to the car whether she wanted him to or not.

Seriously. Your kid doesn't respect you to the extent that he inconvenienced at least 20 people, and if this is how he acts in public, I can only imagine what your home life is like.

I can only remember getting a beating once. I had a moment of very bad judgement inspired by my primary childhood friend, you know, the guy that always wants to do the wrong thing.
It's actually amazing I didn't get myself in more trouble hanging with him...

My discipline was mainly incurred through stern voices and occasional yelling, for things like balls going through windows... How is it my fault balls go through windows anyway, why the heck do you have to put so many windows on all the walls so you can't play with balls safely anywhere?

That's pretty horrific.

I remember smashing the windscreen of my dad's car with a cricket ball at a time when my parents were in financial trouble. I went to them in tears to apologise, and I got a hug from both and told "it will be okay".

I was beaten (too often imho) as a child, and although I clip my son(s) around the head, and even once or twice spanked them, I would never use an implement on them other than my open hand (I hope.... but also having kids, I know how easy it is to "go ballastic" at them).

Anyway something that remains in my mind, was the final time my father took the belt to me and my brother. I must of been about 11, my brother 15/16. We were lying on the bed waiting for punishment, when my brother got up turned to our dad and said absolutely calmly...

"If you ever hit me or my brother again I will punch/kill/hurt you".

He never touched us again.

Something similar here.

So getting beat for the fact that the parent doesnt like something whern it isn't any fucking thing that I am responsible for is bullshit.

No authority = No responsibility.

Make me in charge of it or don't fucking hold me fucking accountable for fucking anything you fucking shit.

But that's all watter under the bridge, my dad was learning I suppose you could say. I was the eldest, my dad is better now and we have a pretty good relationship.

The beating stopped when I basically got old / big / strong enough that I'd push him the fuck around instead. Like him and his father (my grandfather) actually.

I'll beat my children if/when I have any but only if they have done something they shouldn't have, or if they didn't do something they should, and then I will say what they should / shouldn't have done, and that now they will be beat for failing and if they dont like it then do/dont do it again.

I was quite depressed as a child though and I didn't like other people so when in a social setting my dad would want me to be like those gay normal kids and smile and be sociable but I'd say fuck you and I had a sharpened steak knife to cut anyone that tried to do anything so there was a lot of friction and stuff mainly because I was smarter, taller, more facial hair and more mature than normal kids at my age while growing up. Most of my best friends where in year levels above where I was so I just wasn't a very good fit for Australian public schools and psuedo-Christian fake preening fuckwit society.

So I'm not really sure there is/was anything else to be done about it, its just how it is some times. In times gone past I'd be a warlord or something because I am naturally very judgmental and self-defined but in modern society there's not really any place for someone with that kind of inclination and the teachers / other parents / police / your own parents just beat you down over the years.

Some times when my dad was what I now believe to be scared of me, he would send me outside for the night (just because he was a stupid freaking idiot sometimes, no real reason here) and I went outside for the night and of course I was very angry and pacing around was going to smash the windows go in there and smash him and make it my own fucking house but before I'd make up my mind and did anything he'd come out and say he was sorry and I'd end up going back in and sleeping in my bed in the end. So I wouldn't say he was a bad person just a foolish parent, and he'd certainly never do anything outright malicious to me, and I wouldn't to him either.

Siblings are often much worse. Such as stand offs with kitchen knives for example. I got cut twice by my younger brother with a big kitchen knife (thankfully just slashes to the forearm so I never had to go into hospital) trying to take it off him for some reason because he was being a shithead or something. We weren't very nice to each other. I didn't like any of my family, they didn't like me or each other. No one really liked anyone else.

But at school nothing that bad would happen because the police and sometimes some other kids would get involved before it got very bad which while resented at the time was probably for the best in hindsight.

It's just a part of growing up. Newage parents and social philosophy might backfire in a major way I think.

There is bullshit with everything. A century ago or so you'd have an illness and they'd bleed you dry to "heal" you. That's the past.

Actually, there is hard science being done on how to correctly raise children. It doesn't say its the only way, but its a good way. But its a guiding line, you can take it or leave it. Just like Thomas said.

I don't know what people "new age" parents will produce, as long as they don't produce people who write the above, they're OK.

I think it can mean different things to different people.

It was beating with an open hand (or with the spoon), it hurt, physically and emotionally. It never left any bruises or marks... It was discipline.

But you can far more effectively train a child without beating or "spanking" them. Reward is a superior tool than punishment.

But OK, suppose there is a line between discipline (spanking) and beating. Who gets to draw it? Will parents be able to walk it? I don't think so. People are people, they will get emotional and they will let it out on their child.

And people who say it didn't affect them are just plain bullshitting. Maybe it didn't fuck them up awfully bad, but it sure as heck didn't give you a head start in life.

What happened happened, but continuing this practice in any form... Well, needless to say I'm against it.

Maybe there are no great ways to solve that problem. Hitting your child will most certainly not stop them from being horrible. It might stop them from being horrible in your presence, but that doesn't really solve anything. The only thing they will learn is how to lie and avoid getting punished.

I think a quick pop on their bottom will get their attention when they're acting up, but reason (even simplistic reasons that a child will understand) is the way to guide them. For some things, such as not playing in the street, you have to be pretty firm no matter what, so be it.

For the simplistic reasons, I remember an old Dennis the Menace comic. Dennis asks Margaret why the grass is green, she goes into this long spiel about chlorophyll and photosynthesis, Dennis gets frustrated and asks Mr. Wilson, who replies "Because green turned out to be the best color for it" (grass). Dennis then gets on Margarets case for not coming up with a good reason like that.

Saying it doesn't make it true. It's very much not my experience.

What would happen if she called your bluff? You actually go get a vaccine? If it's helpful, why not get it anyway?

I got a 4 year old and the 2.5 year old disciplines don't work anymore What do I do