it's not always necessary, but kids have different personalities. some are more stubborn than other's, so sometimes spanking can be a way to teach them to listen.
In some cases, it's not needed.
I'm not saying that spanking is the best way, but sometimes there is NO other way. Kids arent as well behaved as we'd like to think.
And their parents aren't their only influence.

I agree with Slickie.

It depends on the temperament of the child. If a child is receptive to just being told no and properly explained to, there is no reason to spank them. However, some kids like to kick and scream and bite and generally be nasty little bastards. Those kids need to be punished more severely, and spanking is a decent way to establish authority and get it to the point where they CAN be told no.

Of course, some kids just won't listen no matter what you do, but there really isn't much to be done about that.

I don't think that hitting as punishment is necessary. It has been shown to be less effective and is more of a gratuitous action for the angered parent/guardian. It also does little as far as teaching the child what and what not to do, as there is usually no real explanation involved. It also typically gives rise to resentment from the child and can make for more and more negative guardian-child relationships down the road. With a thorough explanation of what acts are considered inappropriate and why, most instances can be avoided later on. With more stubborn children, there are other means of reprimanding that are more suitable. "Time out" and "grounding" are just as humiliating as a spanking (sometimes more so) and actually give the child a chance to realise not only his mistake but the fact that there are consequences. Spankings are over and done with and don't usually have much effect other than either angering or confusing the child. In cases where alternative punishments and/or explanations are being used, the spanking is purely gratuitous and a(nother) show of power. This shouldn't be necessary if proper actions are taken from the very beginning and the guardian remains understanding of the child's reasoning. In cases where it is too late for this, however, it may come to a point at which spankings are all the child has come to understand or react to as far as punishments/reprimands. This, in my view, is an unfortunate circumstance.

I agree that you should do both explaining and spanking.
It makes no sense to just smack your kid and not tell them what they did wrong.
whenever I did something wrong, my mom always taught me that there will always be consequences.
She made me apologize and explain why i did it and what I would do to change my behavior in the future, thus making me think. Then she would spank me to show my consequence.
I think it helps teach a child the meaning of consequence.

I'm more or less for it. My parents used it on me and my brother and sister, we all turned out fine, and we have a strong relationships with both of our parents.

However, some people tend to get carried away and push it to the extreme of abuse. A little swat just passed soft is enough to tell a kid they are acting unruly.

A lot of people don't know their own strengths, or get take their anger out on their own child. But if you yell at your kid, it's just as bad as hitting, if not worse. Yelling instills fear, from what I gather. When I was younger, I would have rather get hit than to have get yelled at.

There have been numerous studies on this that suggest that children of minority races (in the United States/Canada) respond better to corporal punishment than do Caucasian children. The Caucasian children often did not stop the bad behavior after the corporal punishment, and in some cases, it only escalated. It did, however, stop many of the minority children from either doing the act or escalating it. It seems to be a cultural thing.

One also has to keep in mind that you can only study whether or not spanking is a good punishment by asking yourself: Does it stop the bad behavior? The question is not whether a child who is spanked is less selfish than one who is not, since there are many factors that can influence that more than spanking when they do something wrong.

I basically agree with what you've said, Rhoswin. I was never hit or spanked for discipline either, and I've turned out fine. As you said, kids are people too, and they can understand things when they're explained.

I don't think spanking really teaches the right things. It seems to me that spankings are not usually accompanied with explanations, so all it does is teach the kid kid to be afraid, but not necessarily to understand what they did wrong, or why it was wrong. Knowledge is power, as they say, and understanding why your parents didn't like something is an important part of becoming a responsible, considerate person.

I am not a parent, and I was never spanked, so I have a very limited perspective on this. All that I know is that the very rare occasions when my mom actually yelled at me were some of the most terrifying moments of my life. I hated them, and they taught me nothing. Spanking is totally incomprehensible in the context of us and our relationship; in my case, it probably would just have made me even more stubborn and obstinate than I already am.

To me, being hit seems like it would instill more fear.
Whenever I was actually yelled at, it just made me feel bad. It made me feel like I was disappointing my parents.

Dand: Thats a very interesting study, thank you for bringing that up! :)
I'll have to tell that to my cousin, next time she swats at her daughter, maybe an alternative punishment will work better for them~

At Rhowsin:

Sorry if this is off topic, but that study also said that Caucasian children typically correct their behavior best when given a punishment like time-out or have a privilege like TV/computer time taken away. The corporal punishment just made them angry and more likely to do whatever they did a second time, whereas the deprivation made them see that it's not worth it to do the bad thing anymore.

I believe in spanking a child, but not hitting a child anywhere else.

The reason why is that we are animals, are we not? You want to know how animals such as wolves discipline their pups? By nipping at them. That's what we do by spanking. Though, I only believe in spanking with my hand, and not aiming to make a home-run. It should be a hard, but not too hard of a pat on the butt. xD

I remember when I was spanked, and I was spanked a few times. I remember though I learned hitting from them, there for I hit my brother once, well a few times that day. I was mad and frustrated. He killed one of my animals. -_- But I think he didn't know any better, he's autistic, so I forgive him now considering he's labeled special education. Anyway, that day, I got spanked for hitting him. Never hit him since.

I think it depends on the child. Some children do better with rewards, some with choice, some with disrespect, and some with physical punishment (spank on the ass, not like a slap in the face) which soon leads into restriction.

Once I get older, I don't know what I'd do with my children. I believe it all depends on the child and the child's behavior that gets the right choice of punishment/consequence.

Yes I do. She has no concept of consequences to her actions. Bondaries are the proverbial "I dare you to cross this line". Most people will do it without reprecussions. She had boundaries but when nothing happened to her when she crossed them she did it without hessiatation.

Shes not the only example I have to go by mind you I have seen it with others aswell. The spanked kids turn out better than the ones that were not. That go to your room your grounded crap doesn't work.

Grim: I could say I know just as many examples of people who were not hit at all as turned out wonderfully.

I think when a person turns out to be like your sister, there is usually more a lack of respect from the child and authority not being shown on the parents side.
Can spanking a child form a sense of authority? Sure.
But it's definately not an option that I feel is necessary in most cases.

I think parents should assert their authority in the first place, and this isn't done by just being the parent. Interaction would be necessary.

I definately don't think a child turns out to be rotten just because they weren't hit. I'm not like that at all, and neither are most of my friends.