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As a parent, on of the most important decisions you will make is this: how do I discipline my child so that he/she behaves appropriately without going too far? Obviously you don't want to punch them when they misbehave, but is a slap on the hand or rear appropriate?
In the past, there was little question. You do wrong and you are spanked on the rear with a) hand, b) belt, c) switch, etc. This was considered both acceptable and effective. But lately, our societal mores have changed and it's no longer fashionable to implement corporal punishment. Some have even proposed that spanking teaches the child to deal violence for violence later in life. Those people generally neglect to mention that, quite likely, they themselves were physically disciplined as children and that they turned out alright. Even as such, corporal punishment doesn't work as well with all children. There are a few alternatives to spanking, including:
1) Inaction (not something I recommend)
2) Talking
3) Time-outs (for younger children)
4) Taking away privileges
By inaction you show your child that either a) you don't care what they do, or b) you are too timid to do anything. Either way, they are unlikely to obey you in the future because your authority isn't "real" to them.
Talking works for some children. Many love their parents so much that even an unkind look makes them turn back onto the "right" path. Unfortunately, as your child ages, this generally becomes less effective.
Time-outs work until the pre-teen years when it becomes less feasible to force your child to stand in the corner for long periods of time. I recommend this punishment for mild "trespasses" such as, perhaps, taking the toy of another child.
Finally, one punishment that works for most age groups (especially teens) is the taking away of privileges, generally known as "grounding." Being told that they can't use the phone, computer, watch TV, go on dates, etc. for a certain period of time lasts a lot longer than a spanking and tends to be more motivational. While a spanking hurts for a moment, by contrast, grounding lasts from a day to several weeks. This is often sufficient deterrent.
If you do elect to use spanking as discipline (it works better on some children than others). If you do spank, it is likely a good idea to cease when the child becomes a teenager because it tends more to foster unhappiness and anger against parents rather than conformity to their wishes.
However you discipline you children, do so in love, not anger.
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