In my day, if you got into trouble at school, you got paddled there, then got a lickin with the belt when I returned home. I grew up just fine. I think we need more corporal punishment, both in the school, and at home.

Spanking was once the norm in our culture... but as in all things I think once we know better we should try to do better.

Just a moment of critical thought is what changed my mind forever.

As an adult I would never accept someone hitting me as a means of correction. It would be considered assault and the person doing it could be charged and possibly sent to jail. Why, then, would it be permissible to do something similar to a child who is less than half the size of the person doing the hitting and has no way of fighting back?

Watching a few episodes of "The Nanny" should be required before parents are allowed to procreate. :-) Just kidding of course, but it couldn't hurt!

Spanking can serve a useful purpose, but only if used correctly. At my school growing up, paddling was handed out as a punishment for a fairly serious offense. The most serious punishment was being expelled for a period of time and more appropriate punishment for lesser offenses. I agree that not all children should be punished the same and I think it is a parent's responsibility to come up with punishments that get the point across without going overboard. A spanking as a true means of discipline should not leave any physical marks behind and used for only the most serious offenses. With my 11 month old daughter I use a slap on the hand. I only use it when she is in danger like trying to stick her fingers in an outlet. On the whole, a stern no and slapping my hands together to startle her work just fine and on occasion she has to get removed from the situation when she is fixated on something. Not once has the slap on her hand ever left a mark and the punishment is used sparingly. When she gets a little older we will use spanking, but even that punishment will no longer be appropriate around the age of 7-9 years old. I was about that age when taking privileges away were more effective as a punishment than a spanking. Maybe that will work better for her at an earlier age, but it will be trial and error. All I know is that it should be a parent's decision on whether or not to spank. I think we are doing a strong disservice to teachers and students alike by taking it out of schools. Just because a school allows a spanking/paddling as a form of punishment doesn't mean you have to allow the teachers to use it on your child. While I wouldn't encourage saying that to their teachers in front of your child it can be done. I know from personal experience what it is like to have a child in class that was told not to be spanked to the teacher while the child was present. That child was a terror to the rest of the class. The child picked on others and ran wild so much so that learning because impossible. I agree that spanking should be phased out as a child grows older. However, without laying a foundation of good discipline in the earlier years will make it harder to correct actions in an older child.