Briefly weighing in on the Parenting Dilemma:

[The Littlest Ubermensch]

After reading through this thread, I think it's worth pointing out that every person and every child is different. What works for one, even if it's the most rational approach that works for far more than one, may completely backfire for a different kid. For example, when I read Felix's post saying how being ignored is horrible feeling, I couldn't help but disagree (in my case, that is.) For me, being passively ignored (that is, not because of anything I did that merits exclusion) is one of the nicest things people can do. Being entirely alone makes me feel like the people who aren't there are acknowledging that I'm able to handle myself. I also know that that's nothing like most kids, especially teenagers, like me, but it's always worth the time of any parent to not just assume that one method will work, no matter who their kid really is.

[Masonity]

My daughter's only three months, so I've still got no actual field experience, but i only beleive in "hitting" in a small, situational sense. As punishment, no. As a way to imprint certain thigns into the child, perhaps.

If my daughter reaches for the oven, i'll move her away. If she just comes back, i may give her a small sharp slap on the hand as she almost touches it, so she relates touching the oven with pain. I'd only do this based on the logic that, should she touch it when i'm not there to stop her, it'll hurt alot more, and cause real damage.

The smack for running into the road i can understand. The smack for not tidying a room i cannot personally justify.

[SBCU]

Q: Is it possible to love somebody and still smack the shit out of them?

A: Yes.

Ignoring most, I will stick to this proposition.

Due to the title, I assume this is meant to concentrate on the question if loving your child can include hitting him or her.

Smack the shit out of them is firstly indicating that this is not simply hitting, but seriously hurting somebody.

Love is secondly an impossible word to use, because of the very personal dimension that love has. What the one calls love is for the other certainly no love at all. So the one can smack the shit out of a child and love that child, while the other can't. I think that loving somebody is no guarantee to treat somebody well.

So: YES, but not because it is good.

From an ethical point of view, I would say that beating the living shit out of somebody is in no way positive for that person.