[CraigSca]

I understand what you are saying, Samdari. However, from my own experience in the times where I have struck him it solved nothing. There was no "Okay, okay, I won't do it again!" The behavior we were trying to avoid continued (sometimes within seconds), but now we had the added issue of a child who is frantic, out of control and now screaming at the top of his lungs that we're evil, etc. In a sense, the bad behavior was thrown back at us, and the original point that was trying to be made was lost. All focus was on the slap on the rear-end, and not the bad behavior that began the whole process.

I gotta tell ya, if a mere slap on the butt worked, I'd be doing it.

Now...with my daughter...it's a different story. On the rare occasions that we feel a slap on the butt is in order, after teh receives the punishement she immediately comes crying over to us saying how sorry she is. With her, she understands bad behavior = bad consequences. With him, I feel he understands a little, but still cannot control his own compulsive behavior -- even with the threat of physical punishment.