I was the disciplinarian when my kids were little, and I swatted little butts when I felt they needed it. I was spanked, and HARD, as a kid, and I will tell you unabashedly that I had it coming, and it did me good. Kids need boundaries, need to understand the rules, and once rulesand punishments are established, things get better for all concerned. No sane parent wants to smack their kids, but sometimes you have to show them you mean business, and some things won't be tolerated. If it's not an everyday thing, they figure out what not to do pretty quickly.

My oldest daughter was a rebel, and thought she was above having to listen to me. Her Mama wouldn't paddle her, but I would, and she decided I was just a jerk. Then we moved to a new area, a new school district, and she didn't like the teacher, or being the new kid, so when the bus came, she hid behind a tree until it left. Then she came inside and told us the bus never came, so it must be a day off of school. I had watched the whole thing from the garage, told her Mama what had happened, and let nature take its course. Mama asked her several times if she was sure the bus hadn't come, daughter insisted it hadn't, and Mama finally pulled her over her knee and spanked her but good. Mama hadn't ever spanked her like that, and she responded by screaming, "You're beating me! You're beating me!"

Mama replied (between whacks with an open hand) "I have not yet BEGUN to beat! If you ever lie to me again you'll get it ten times worse than this, and then you have to face your Daddy!"

There were no further problems with that child.............ever. And her younger siblings, who were old enough to witness what happened, never even TRIED to lie to her, or transgress in other ways. The Wrath of The Mama was FAR worse than anything I ever dished out.