spanking children...yes or no?

How to raise kids is such a controversial topic—from when you should start potty training to when you should allow them to date. But the one topic, I notice parents taking strong sides either for or against is spanking a child. Personally, I believe it is okay. Now, I don’t mean beating a child or slapping them in the face, but if they do step out of line and do something really wrong, spanking is okay. It has been argued that spanking a child when they are young can cause abusive behaviors later on. I highly doubt that! I was spanked and I am not an abusive person.
However, there are guidelines to spanking, like: What age is okay to start spanking? How you should spank your child? Should you use a paddle or your hand? When should you stop spanking your child? This is my personal opinion, and keep in mind that I do not have kids of my own, so perhaps my opinion will change when I cross that bridge. My opinion is based off of my own personal experiences growing up with how I was raised, and also, after being with a guy for over a year who had a child.
First of all, I do not think it is okay to spank a child under the age of 2. While a kid is in diapers, they should not be reprimanded physically in a such a way. After the age of 2, tapping their hand when they do something wrong can go a lot further than spanking them on the bottom. Kids at this age seem to be sensitive to right and wrong.
Spanking really only seems appropriate up until the child in is 4th or 5th grade, basically elementary school. At my elementary school, which is a private Christian school, if a child continued to be a “problem”, they were allowed to be spanked if the parent said it was okay. The parent would be called first to be notified of their child’s actions, and then told that a spanking seemed appropriate. If the parents agreed to that, then the child would be taken into the office and “swatted” on the behind three times. The parent was also given the opportunity to come to the school and take care of the issue themselves. I do not agree with anyone but parental figures spanking a child. I believe the school should not be allowed to spank. Also, when a child is spanked by parents, it should only be on the behind or on the hand, and never when the parent is angry. Also, if a child does something wrong in public, the parent should not reprimand the child in such a way in public. Spanking along with vocal reprimanding should be private matters. My parents, for instance, never got on to my brother or me in front of other people, but we would get in trouble when we home or in a private area. The words I always hated to hear when I was younger was, “do you want to go to the bathroom?”. Of course I didn’t and it had nothing to do with whether or not I actually need to use the restroom, but it was my parents way of letting my know I had gone too far. Those trips to the restroom usually resorted in a spanking.

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/12/free-range-kids-blog.html
http://wordpress.com/tag/spanking-children/
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1219230,CST-NWS-spank14.article