I'm not about to get involved with whether it's ok to spank or not. It really won't change anyone's else's mind anyway. Raising a brood though I have found out that consistency is more the key than the method. I will say was hit with the belt for punishment as were my brothers. When my oldest was a toddler and parental controls were being raised I did spank with my hand but I found I was very uncomfortable doing it. So sometimes I spanked and other times I didn't for the same offense. This led to a lot of confusion on the kids part on what was acceptable. By the time the second was a toddler (I had the first 3 in 31 MO so not much time went by considering) I found that removing my self from the kid was what was most effective. They just didn't like Mom being mad at them and not available for their whims and wishes. I was able to be consistent and it showed in the kids behavior. If I had been conformable with spanking and the guidelines such as Kyle set up for Anna, the results would have been the same I'm sure. Consistency is the key. Just my 2 cents FWIW Joanne [log in to unmask]