Spanking is one of the most controversial areas of discipline, and the controversy only heightens when you throw adoption into the mix. I know a man who adopted an older child whose birth parents had routinely beaten the child and his siblings. This adoptive father had to find alternative ways to curb the child's behavior. He pointed out that when a child has endured numerous beatings, a swat on the behind is not going to make a difference in his behavior.

While what this adoptive father said is true, I see the real damage coming from the flashbacks that a... more

A few weeks ago I caught the tail end of a Today show interview about making spanking illegal for children ages three & under in a certain state ( I think it was Californa). The National Effective parenting initiative along with politicians were pushing to make this a new legislation. When doing some research on this it seems that other countries already have an anti spanking law in place. Boston was trying to pass a bill that would make putting hot sauce or soap in your child’s mouth Illegal as well as... more