My father never physically punished us. His look of disappointment was crushing...far more than any smack would have been.

My mother on the other hand would crack me in the blink of an eye. We would do things knowing it was coming and we thought it was still worth it.

Once that I remember, another time I was told about.

What gets me are the people who constantly smack their kids and wonder why it isn't effective.

I got spanked a few times. Mostly with a hand when little then a wooden spoon or those brightly colored plastic paddles that made a weird sound when you hit it with a plastic ball. Definitely deserved it.

I was only paddled once and that was by my mother. She thought I had run away from home, and she was hysterical. Believe me, that paddling hurt her more than it hurt me!