hell yes I spank my stepson...I'll spank my kid too when he's bigger, F*ck the dumb shit. you mess up you get a swat on the ass, plain and simple. It's how I was raised. At least I'm not making him go outside for a switch like my dad did.
I don't play either, I'll spank him in front of his friends if he lies or pulls some dumb shit tryin to be cool for them.
that was the worst for me, when it used to be in front of peeps!! Stupid shit is, i used to get it for dumb pointless stuff as opposed to real serious shit- that usually warranted a letter. once my bro was about to belt the crap out of me cos i had a friend over and refused to un-do the dishwasher, so we piss bolted out of the house ( me without my shoes). Got a fair way down the street (was a main one) then i saw my dads car driving by so i ran back thinking i have to get to him b4 my bro so he'll protect me. my brother got to him 1st and i got swatted 3 times for no shoes in public!! wtf!! kinda funny now!!
You guys that had the strap used on you....did it work??
hell yes. I was scared as hell of crossin mom dukes. she did NOT play. I got spanked with all types of shit as I got bigger, last one I remember was a riding crop. holy shit I behaved after that one.
Corporal punishment is fine when you know its limitations.
Agreed. I got spanked when I was a kid. Not often, and only in extreme situations, typically where I had been explicitly warned not to do something and did it anyway. Those are the mistakes I only made once.
Corporal punishment is fine when you know its limitations.
Agreed. I got spanked when I was a kid. Not often, and only in extreme situations, typically where I had been explicitly warned not to do something and did it anyway. Those are the mistakes I only made once.
you mean ONCE AFTER you'd been warned all those other times!!
this is a very poor/creepy use of the 'popcorn' icon.
I do not have kids , but when I do I will never spank them.
i have always misused / abused the usage of graemlins, it is a trademark... don't take it too seriously, it's nothing. and also don't backtalk me about it or i will get the strap / extention cord / shoe / whatever's laying around that i can get my hands on and commence to whoopin' that azz properly
Corporal punishment is fine when you know its limitations.
Agreed. I got spanked when I was a kid. Not often, and only in extreme situations, typically where I had been explicitly warned not to do something and did it anyway. Those are the mistakes I only made once.
you mean ONCE AFTER you'd been warned all those other times!!
i always thought i would enjoy whoopin' my kids back before i had any... no, no, i don't mean in a sadistic abusive way, i mean to show all these "time out" azz parents that sparing the rod is NO way to raise children properly. like i said, that was before i had children- once i actually got some and had a chance to put all my child rearing theories to the test, i got absolutely ZERO satisfaction out of spanking my kids. didn't feel like there was anything right about it at all. just the idea of being this big omnipotent brute striking terror into these tiny little people and then using physical force against them when they are totally powerless to do anything about it... naw, man. i've found that just carrying yourself the right way, teaching them the right things and making sure they have NO doubts that somebody cares about them are the best ways to get your kids to do right. Don't get me wrong, they know that papa don't take no mess and will hand down the punishments and all that. But my kids truly do not want to disappoint me... if they feel like they have, that's gonna hurt them a lot more than the belt will in the long run. Corny maybe, but so true definitely. God, old age is turning me into such a pussy
p.s.: i'm lucky to have really GREAT kids who honestly don't need much punishing, so that makes it a lot easier
i always thought i would enjoy whoopin' my kids back before i had any... no, no, i don't mean in a sadistic abusive way, i mean to show all these "time out" azz parents that sparing the rod is NO way to raise children properly. like i said, that was before i had children- once i actually got some and had a chance to put all my child rearing theories to the test, i got absolutely ZERO satisfaction out of spanking my kids. didn't feel like there was anything right about it at all. just the idea of being this big omnipotent brute striking terror into these tiny little people and then using physical force against them when they are totally powerless to do anything about it... naw, man. i've found that just carrying yourself the right way, teaching them the right things and making sure they have NO doubts that somebody cares about them are the best ways to get your kids to do right. Don't get me wrong, they know that papa don't take no mess and will hand down the punishments and all that. But my kids truly do not want to disappoint me... if they feel like they have, that's gonna hurt them a lot more than the belt will in the long run. Corny maybe, but so true definitely. God, old age is turning me into such a pussy
p.s.: i'm lucky to have really GREAT kids who honestly don't need much punishing, so that makes it a lot easier
Well said man... I wasn't familiar with your trademarked gremlin abuse, now I know!
I feel exactly the same way as you, and even though I do not have kids yet, I know how I want to raise them.
I spanked my kids a few times when they were very young and did things that put themselves in danger far beyond a spanking....like the time my daughter asked if she could go out and play and my wife told her no, that it close to dinner time.....10 minutes later she was no where to be found as she crawled out the "Doggie Door" and went outside anyway.
Most of the time a punishment of no TV or being grounded did the job. One time I really turned the tables on them with GREAT results.....I have two girls 2 years apart in age....when they were 11 & 13 they had misbehaved and my wife told them to go to their rooms and wait for Dad to get home. As I climbed the stairs they both started to panic saying "Dad, don't punish us"...I quickly shot back...."I'm not gonna punish you" which was met with great relief.....then I asked my younger daughter "If you were me, what punishment would you give to your sister?"...she thought about it and said "Two weeks without TV"...then I turned to the older one and asked her the same question and she said "Four weeks without TV"....I then said...."How about a compromise, three weeks without TV for the both of you"...they both squawked "But you said you wouldn't punish us" to which I answered, "I didn't, you guys did"....of course this can only work once but it taught them a good lesson.
i got absolutely ZERO satisfaction out of spanking my kids. didn't feel like there was anything right about it at all
But then it's not about that at all. It's about correcting. Usually with my 2YO a verbal warning will suffice especially when I raise my voice. However there's been a few occasions when a physical punishment has been required which we administer with a slap across the hand, and of course the hardness of the slap depends upon on what she's done. The first time I had to do it it broke my heart and I still don't like to do it - but sometimes it's just required. Of course after the tears we sit with her and explain what she did wrong. This seems to work most of the time for us.
Never. No matter how you rationalize it, hitting your kid is a parenting failure, straight up.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
I can't believe that the majority here beats their children (at least it looks like it by the replies in this thread). Using violence against children is against everything I believe in.
i always thought i would enjoy whoopin' my kids back before i had any... no, no, i don't mean in a sadistic abusive way, i mean to show all these "time out" azz parents that sparing the rod is NO way to raise children properly. like i said, that was before i had children- once i actually got some and had a chance to put all my child rearing theories to the test, i got absolutely ZERO satisfaction out of spanking my kids. didn't feel like there was anything right about it at all. just the idea of being this big omnipotent brute striking terror into these tiny little people and then using physical force against them when they are totally powerless to do anything about it... naw, man. i've found that just carrying yourself the right way, teaching them the right things and making sure they have NO doubts that somebody cares about them are the best ways to get your kids to do right. Don't get me wrong, they know that papa don't take no mess and will hand down the punishments and all that. But my kids truly do not want to disappoint me... if they feel like they have, that's gonna hurt them a lot more than the belt will in the long run.
Yes.
When I was 15, I got caught skipping (lined up early in the morning for concert tickets and then spent the rest of the day record shopping downtown). I left earlier than usual in the morning and said I was going to a friend's house to work on a project. I overdid it and said don't call for me there because her Dad works night and is sleeping. So already my parents' ears perked up a bit. I also fixed it that I would get home the same time I usually did. That afternoon, I walked in the door and heard my Mom laughing in the kitchen. I knew I was caught. My heart was pounding and my Mom was laughing so hard she couldn't get the words out. She finally calmed down enough to tell me that the school called both at work looking for me and they figured out it given my stupid project story. She asked what I was up to and then she told me to get to my room and stay there. She was still laughing as I was going up the stairs. My Dad came home and I told him I'll ground myself! I won't go out for the next two months! My Dad was all damn straight and you're not going to the concert either! I fought it, but not too hard....I didn't go out at all for the two or so months and I did go to the concert!
The other time I grounded myself was when I got suspended for three days for fighting. My Mom was pissed and my Dad was super calm and that scared the shit out of me. It was not in character at all, no anger, he seemed totally bummed. He asked me why I did it and I explained best I could, but felt like an ass...in the end, no good reason. I told him I felt stupid for fighting. And in the end he never grounded me or any of that, I just kept a low profile for the next few months and kept close to home. I wonder if he went inside himself and wondered if I was getting physical at school because I was taught so at home. If I were a parent who hit my kids, I'd definitely ask myself that, you know?
I can't believe that the majority here beats their children (at least it looks like it by the replies in this thread). Using violence against children is against everything I believe in.
Dude, get off your high horse. People in this thread weren't like "HELL YEAH I BEAT THAT ASS" ... a few people said they spank their kids once in a while. A kid should learn how to handle some kind of discipline. Otherwise there's a good chance they'll grow up pussies, like so many kids today, who have been coddled and spoiled so much their whole lives they can't handle grown-up life.
i always thought i would enjoy whoopin' my kids back before i had any... no, no, i don't mean in a sadistic abusive way, i mean to show all these "time out" azz parents that sparing the rod is NO way to raise children properly. like i said, that was before i had children- once i actually got some and had a chance to put all my child rearing theories to the test, i got absolutely ZERO satisfaction out of spanking my kids. didn't feel like there was anything right about it at all. just the idea of being this big omnipotent brute striking terror into these tiny little people and then using physical force against them when they are totally powerless to do anything about it... naw, man. i've found that just carrying yourself the right way, teaching them the right things and making sure they have NO doubts that somebody cares about them are the best ways to get your kids to do right. Don't get me wrong, they know that papa don't take no mess and will hand down the punishments and all that. But my kids truly do not want to disappoint me... if they feel like they have, that's gonna hurt them a lot more than the belt will in the long run.
Yes.
When I was 15, I got caught skipping (lined up early in the morning for concert tickets and then spent the rest of the day record shopping downtown). I left earlier than usual in the morning and said I was going to a friend's house to work on a project. I overdid it and said don't call for me there because her Dad works night and is sleeping. So already my parents' ears perked up a bit. I also fixed it that I would get home the same time I usually did. That afternoon, I walked in the door and heard my Mom laughing in the kitchen. I knew I was caught. My heart was pounding and my Mom was laughing so hard she couldn't get the words out. She finally calmed down enough to tell me that the school called both at work looking for me and they figured out it given my stupid project story. She asked what I was up to and then she told me to get to my room and stay there. She was still laughing as I was going up the stairs. My Dad came home and I told him I'll ground myself! I won't go out for the next two months! My Dad was all damn straight and you're not going to the concert either! I fought it, but not too hard....I didn't go out at all for the two or so months and I did go to the concert!
The other time I grounded myself was when I got suspended for three days for fighting. My Mom was pissed and my Dad was super calm and that scared the shit out of me. It was not in character at all, no anger, he seemed totally bummed. He asked me why I did it and I explained best I could, but felt like an ass...in the end, no good reason. I told him I felt stupid for fighting. And in the end he never grounded me or any of that, I just kept a low profile for the next few months and kept close to home. I wonder if he went inside himself and wondered if I was getting physical at school because I was taught so at home. If I were a parent who hit my kids, I'd definitely ask myself that, you know?
The closest i really came to grounding was under threat when i stayed at my friends house and came home with a really, really short fringe......wasn't intended to be so short but both friends hacked it to death. Anyway, my dad said "if this is the shit your gonna get up to ("making yourself look ugly") when you stay out you can forget it"!! I did get called cher for a while.....nagl!!
Oddly enough, my pa didn't give a hoot the one time i truly was scared for my life which is when the school called him up about inhaling certain substances (nowhere near school property mind you---some kid told his folks who called the school). All he did was laugh and say if you wanna be that stupid it's your choice!! Oooooooooooooooof!! Have never been more relieved!!!
Never. No matter how you rationalize it, hitting your kid is a parenting failure, straight up.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
I can't believe that the majority here beats their children (at least it looks like it by the replies in this thread). Using violence against children is against everything I believe in.
STFU. Nobody here 'beats' their children. Certainly not me. I will however, gladly 'beat' any interfering douche who tries to tell me how to raise my child.
Otherwise there's a good chance they'll grow up pussies, like so many kids today, who have been coddled and spoiled so much their whole lives they can't handle grown-up life.
See 'Chads and Beckies who annoy working DJs' thread.
I can't believe people are so against people physically disciplining their own kids. It's your kid, do what you want. Even though the PC crazies have outlawed it here, I don't believe they did the right thing. Sure there are a few people who take it too far & kill their kids, but they are usually the people who shouldn't have their kids in the first place. 99.9% of parents should know what is best for their child & be able to make the choice themselves whether or not to go that route. I mean, I used to get the wooden spoon, vaccuum cleaner tube, electric jug cord or lead fishing sinker for misbehaving as a youngster & I don't hold it against my parents one bit.
my parents are peaceful lefties, but i got spanked whenever necessary. in early teens i was cursing my mom out and my dad punched me in the face...twice. that was a clear signal to stop that shit and i appreciate it to this day. he later explained how bad he felt about punching me, but that i had crossed a line. understood.
i agree with what was said about well loved kids not wanting to disappoint the folks. when theres lot of love in the family, spankings will become almost unnecessary. but im not against laying it down on that rare occasion. shit, i used to smack the kids in the back of the head at the high school i worked at when they were out of line. you gotta be on really good terms with the kids to be doing that shit though...and i suppose i really shouldnt have been doing it at all.
only their sons cause their daughters are too precious for punishment
My mom slapped me around a lot more than my little brother. Looking back, I realize that she probably hit us out of frustration and didn't put much thought into it. My brother and I were very well behaved, quiet and shy and I don't think we deserved the spankings at all, as it fostered a really cold and distant atmosphere in my home. The spankings worked a little too well, as my brother and I grew up scared to death of our parents and still find it difficult to be honest to them because we are afraid of their reactions. My mom doesn't think that the spankings were a big deal, but in retrospect, they are one of things that stand out to me from my childhood.
When I was babysat my little cousin (I was 17) I would get frustrated and just hit him because it was easy and "that's what it's like in our family." Once I came back home and he was so happy to see me even though I was a bitch earlier that day, and I felt really bad about hitting him. If I ever have kids, I hope I am old enough and patient enough to think before I raise my hand.
Never. No matter how you rationalize it, hitting your kid is a parenting failure, straight up.
I think there's a fundamental flaw in this logic. It seems to imply that successful child rearing follows the most civilized and humane methods. I've worked in childcare off and on for about eleven years now, and I've worked with literally hundreds of children. As caregivers we cannot, for obvious reasons, lay hands on children in any way which might be deemed violent or otherwise inappropriate, so we do find peaceful and respectful methods of disciplining children. Those methods are generally adequate and often very successful, and for a long time those were the methods I personally found to be the best.
However, I cannot deny that I know many nice, well-adjusted, happy people who were raised by parents who would not shy away from using a quick, well-aimed swat as a method of communication. But I think that's where it's important to clearly differentiate between the many types of spanking. There's spanking out of anger and frustration (usually over a perceived lack of control), the method my father favored. This works only if you wish your child to learn to exhibit submissive behavior, but also often backfires. I can remember reacting to those spankings by matching or trying to out-do my father's aggression and exhibiting even more out-of-control behavior (what can I say, I was a bit of a spitfire). Another method is the solemn, "This hurts me more than it hurts you" method. That's not fooling most children. Kids generally aren't stupid and can recognize that their parents aren't making the big sacrifice they claim to be making. Plus it sends the message that if someone does something you don't like, you should take an orderly, stoic approach to physically punishing them. That's not an act worthy of respect in my mind.
That leaves the "warning swat," which is essentially just a physical form of redirection. I've come to believe that this method isn't the horrible form of abuse I once thought it was. When children are misbehaving due to mischievousness or lack of mindfulness, a soft, quick swat to the bottom can be a concise way of telling them, "You know you're out of line and I know you're out of line and you can simply stop right now and that will be the end of it. Otherwise, there will be further consequences." One effective thing about that form of message delivery is that it's virtually instantaneous. The child has no option to ignore or otherwise cut that message short. It also, if done calmly and discretely, saves the child face, in that it doesn't needlessly alert others to the need for discipline or blow the situation out of proportion.
Child psychologists have been touting the effectiveness of redirection for a long time, and while I understand people's aversion to this method, as long as the parent is not acting out of emotion or physically hurting the child, this is a very effective form of redirection. It can surprises the child, pull them out of their current state of mind, and put them in a more passive state where they will be more receptive to further instructions and dialogue.
By the way, I realize that I sound like I'm taking my views directly from The Dog Whisperer, and I would like to clarify that I believe that children are very different than dogs and should be not be treated as lower animals in any way. Still, a few of the fundamental philosophies that Cesar Milan uses on his show are somewhat analogous to human children, likely because at our core, we too are animals, and our psychology reflects that.
Comments
I don't play either, I'll spank him in front of his friends if he lies or pulls some dumb shit tryin to be cool for them.
Stupid shit is, i used to get it for dumb pointless stuff as opposed to real serious shit- that usually warranted a letter.
once my bro was about to belt the crap out of me cos i had a friend over and refused to un-do the dishwasher, so we piss bolted out of the house ( me without my shoes). Got a fair way down the street (was a main one) then i saw my dads car driving by so i ran back thinking i have to get to him b4 my bro so he'll protect me. my brother got to him 1st and i got swatted 3 times for no shoes in public!! wtf!!
kinda funny now!!
No Shoes
Ass Whoopin
I'm pretty sure that's in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
hell yes. I was scared as hell of crossin mom dukes. she did NOT play. I got spanked with all types of shit as I got bigger, last one I remember was a riding crop. holy shit I behaved after that one.
Agreed. I got spanked when I was a kid. Not often, and only in extreme situations, typically where I had been explicitly warned not to do something and did it anyway. Those are the mistakes I only made once.
you mean ONCE AFTER you'd been warned all those other times!!
i have always misused / abused the usage of graemlins, it is a trademark... don't take it too seriously, it's nothing. and also don't backtalk me about it or i will get the strap / extention cord / shoe / whatever's laying around that i can get my hands on and commence to whoopin' that azz properly
Mom's favorite:
Hahahaha, true!
God, old age is turning me into such a pussy
p.s.: i'm lucky to have really GREAT kids who honestly don't need much punishing, so that makes it a lot easier
Well said man... I wasn't familiar with your trademarked gremlin abuse, now I know!
I feel exactly the same way as you, and even though I do not have kids yet, I know how I want to raise them.
Most of the time a punishment of no TV or being grounded did the job. One time I really turned the tables on them with GREAT results.....I have two girls 2 years apart in age....when they were 11 & 13 they had misbehaved and my wife told them to go to their rooms and wait for Dad to get home. As I climbed the stairs they both started to panic saying "Dad, don't punish us"...I quickly shot back...."I'm not gonna punish you" which was met with great relief.....then I asked my younger daughter "If you were me, what punishment would you give to your sister?"...she thought about it and said "Two weeks without TV"...then I turned to the older one and asked her the same question and she said "Four weeks without TV"....I then said...."How about a compromise, three weeks without TV for the both of you"...they both squawked "But you said you wouldn't punish us" to which I answered, "I didn't, you guys did"....of course this can only work once but it taught them a good lesson.
My mom broke many a wooden spoon across my ass.....I always told my kids... "My ass isn't fat, it's calloused from all the whippings I got".
But then it's not about that at all. It's about correcting. Usually with my 2YO a verbal warning will suffice especially when I raise my voice. However there's been a few occasions when a physical punishment has been required which we administer with a slap across the hand, and of course the hardness of the slap depends upon on what she's done. The first time I had to do it it broke my heart and I still don't like to do it - but sometimes it's just required.
Of course after the tears we sit with her and explain what she did wrong. This seems to work most of the time for us.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
I can't believe that the majority here beats their children (at least it looks like it by the replies in this thread). Using violence against children is against everything I believe in.
Yes.
When I was 15, I got caught skipping (lined up early in the morning for concert tickets and then spent the rest of the day record shopping downtown). I left earlier than usual in the morning and said I was going to a friend's house to work on a project. I overdid it and said don't call for me there because her Dad works night and is sleeping. So already my parents' ears perked up a bit. I also fixed it that I would get home the same time I usually did. That afternoon, I walked in the door and heard my Mom laughing in the kitchen. I knew I was caught. My heart was pounding and my Mom was laughing so hard she couldn't get the words out. She finally calmed down enough to tell me that the school called both at work looking for me and they figured out it given my stupid project story. She asked what I was up to and then she told me to get to my room and stay there. She was still laughing as I was going up the stairs. My Dad came home and I told him I'll ground myself! I won't go out for the next two months! My Dad was all damn straight and you're not going to the concert either! I fought it, but not too hard....I didn't go out at all for the two or so months and I did go to the concert!
The other time I grounded myself was when I got suspended for three days for fighting. My Mom was pissed and my Dad was super calm and that scared the shit out of me. It was not in character at all, no anger, he seemed totally bummed. He asked me why I did it and I explained best I could, but felt like an ass...in the end, no good reason. I told him I felt stupid for fighting. And in the end he never grounded me or any of that, I just kept a low profile for the next few months and kept close to home. I wonder if he went inside himself and wondered if I was getting physical at school because I was taught so at home. If I were a parent who hit my kids, I'd definitely ask myself that, you know?
Dude, get off your high horse. People in this thread weren't like "HELL YEAH
I BEAT THAT ASS" ... a few people said they spank their kids once in a while.
A kid should learn how to handle some kind of discipline. Otherwise there's a
good chance they'll grow up pussies, like so many kids today, who have been
coddled and spoiled so much their whole lives they can't handle grown-up life.
The closest i really came to grounding was under threat when i stayed at my friends house and came home with a really, really short fringe......wasn't intended to be so short but both friends hacked it to death. Anyway, my dad said "if this is the shit your gonna get up to ("making yourself look ugly") when you stay out you can forget it"!! I did get called cher for a while.....nagl!!
Oddly enough, my pa didn't give a hoot the one time i truly was scared for my life which is when the school called him up about inhaling certain substances (nowhere near school property mind you---some kid told his folks who called the school). All he did was laugh and say if you wanna be that stupid it's your choice!! Oooooooooooooooof!! Have never been more relieved!!!
STFU. Nobody here 'beats' their children. Certainly not me. I will however, gladly 'beat' any interfering douche who tries to tell me how to raise my child.
See 'Chads and Beckies who annoy working DJs' thread.
Tommy Hall is your Dad????
i agree with what was said about well loved kids not wanting to disappoint the folks. when theres lot of love in the family, spankings will become almost unnecessary. but im not against laying it down on that rare occasion. shit, i used to smack the kids in the back of the head at the high school i worked at when they were out of line. you gotta be on really good terms with the kids to be doing that shit though...and i suppose i really shouldnt have been doing it at all.
My mom slapped me around a lot more than my little brother. Looking back, I realize that she probably hit us out of frustration and didn't put much thought into it. My brother and I were very well behaved, quiet and shy and I don't think we deserved the spankings at all, as it fostered a really cold and distant atmosphere in my home. The spankings worked a little too well, as my brother and I grew up scared to death of our parents and still find it difficult to be honest to them because we are afraid of their reactions. My mom doesn't think that the spankings were a big deal, but in retrospect, they are one of things that stand out to me from my childhood.
When I was babysat my little cousin (I was 17) I would get frustrated and just hit him because it was easy and "that's what it's like in our family." Once I came back home and he was so happy to see me even though I was a bitch earlier that day, and I felt really bad about hitting him. If I ever have kids, I hope I am old enough and patient enough to think before I raise my hand.
I think there's a fundamental flaw in this logic. It seems to imply that successful child rearing follows the most civilized and humane methods. I've worked in childcare off and on for about eleven years now, and I've worked with literally hundreds of children. As caregivers we cannot, for obvious reasons, lay hands on children in any way which might be deemed violent or otherwise inappropriate, so we do find peaceful and respectful methods of disciplining children. Those methods are generally adequate and often very successful, and for a long time those were the methods I personally found to be the best.
However, I cannot deny that I know many nice, well-adjusted, happy people who were raised by parents who would not shy away from using a quick, well-aimed swat as a method of communication. But I think that's where it's important to clearly differentiate between the many types of spanking. There's spanking out of anger and frustration (usually over a perceived lack of control), the method my father favored. This works only if you wish your child to learn to exhibit submissive behavior, but also often backfires. I can remember reacting to those spankings by matching or trying to out-do my father's aggression and exhibiting even more out-of-control behavior (what can I say, I was a bit of a spitfire). Another method is the solemn, "This hurts me more than it hurts you" method. That's not fooling most children. Kids generally aren't stupid and can recognize that their parents aren't making the big sacrifice they claim to be making. Plus it sends the message that if someone does something you don't like, you should take an orderly, stoic approach to physically punishing them. That's not an act worthy of respect in my mind.
That leaves the "warning swat," which is essentially just a physical form of redirection. I've come to believe that this method isn't the horrible form of abuse I once thought it was. When children are misbehaving due to mischievousness or lack of mindfulness, a soft, quick swat to the bottom can be a concise way of telling them, "You know you're out of line and I know you're out of line and you can simply stop right now and that will be the end of it. Otherwise, there will be further consequences." One effective thing about that form of message delivery is that it's virtually instantaneous. The child has no option to ignore or otherwise cut that message short. It also, if done calmly and discretely, saves the child face, in that it doesn't needlessly alert others to the need for discipline or blow the situation out of proportion.
Child psychologists have been touting the effectiveness of redirection for a long time, and while I understand people's aversion to this method, as long as the parent is not acting out of emotion or physically hurting the child, this is a very effective form of redirection. It can surprises the child, pull them out of their current state of mind, and put them in a more passive state where they will be more receptive to further instructions and dialogue.
By the way, I realize that I sound like I'm taking my views directly from The Dog Whisperer, and I would like to clarify that I believe that children are very different than dogs and should be not be treated as lower animals in any way. Still, a few of the fundamental philosophies that Cesar Milan uses on his show are somewhat analogous to human children, likely because at our core, we too are animals, and our psychology reflects that.