very good answer and I agree (and yes I was spanked too), but what if you have a girl

If you believe in God, and the Bible, then according to him it is necessary and you hate your child if you never do.

But there is a difference between beating and punishing. It has worked for almost all of America's 40+ population, and it worked for large portions of the younger generation. I see more kids out of control now with parents who with just one quick smack would have their kids attention. However, a spanking is not the only form of discipline you should use.

I found this with a quick search (bolded parts of interest)

"While spanking is not illegal, bruising or otherwise injuring a child is. But what about mild spanking as a corrective measure? Is it a good idea? Spanking works best when coupled with other disciplinary measures, such as "time out." Research regarding behavior modification of children ages 2 to 6 found that spanking a child two times on either the rear or thigh helped improve compliance with "time out" for misbehavior. These children were more likely to remain in their room after acting up if a potential spank followed if they left before the time was up. Furthermore, pairing reasoning with a spanking in the toddler years delayed misbehavior longer than did either reasoning or spanking alone. Reasoning linked with a spank was also more effective compared with other discipline methods. Talking with the child about what behavior is expected and why-with the potential of a follow-up spank-worked best."

@faxandadu

it used to be that everyone spanked their child, so depending on how they interpret "beaten" then of course all current wife/child abusers were "beaten" when they were a child, so that is just misinformation.

(edit, didn't finish my sentance)

i am living proof that is not true, i have never been in a major fight in my life, am very emotional towards others or apathetic, love my parents , and am a fully functional member of society

and i was spanked as a child when i missbehaved

there is nothing wrong with a firm crack on the ass, however not every child responds to the same punishments with teh same results its all about finding something that will make the child listen to you

you must find the hot button that will "put the fear of god" and make him undestand that he must mnd you

Yes, I strongly believe in it, and I can tell you that any rebellious kid I've babysitted who has defied me has felt the wrath of my palm.

And surprisingly, their parents supported my actions because they couldn't solve the defiance problems themselves. To be fair, though, they were all oriental.