Reply #46: Neither of my parents ever physically chastised me [View All]

[American Tragedy]

and they wouldn't have tolerated another adult administering such punishment. My mother and father, for better or for worse, believed that striking a child would ultimately teach them that violence was a legitimate solution to interpersonal problems.

I definitely wasn't a brat - in fact, I was a very quiet kid in school, even made fun of by others for not getting into trouble.

To me, corporal punishment is not only unnecessary, but of questionable effectiveness. There is no doubt in my mind that my mom's verbal corrections had a far greater and more lasting effect than merely slapping me could have possibly achieved. Hell, sometimes all she had to do was look at me.

That's just anecdotal, of course. I suppose extreme situations sometimes demand extreme measures. I have to admit, I've never seen a child act the way that this little girl did.