auntpolly said:
We really don't know this, though do we? And even still, my big concern is not that spanking will lead to a life of crime -- it's that it propagates the idea of hurting someone to achieve an end.
No, a person might not end up in jail because of a few swats on the butt, but we really don't have a way to measure what damage is done.
If you hit a child, you can't help but be giving him the message that inflicting pain is an acceptable way to get them to do what you want them to do.
Dear Auntpolly, if you did hit your children to cause pain, I would agree that was abuse. However, when I hit my children (very rare, usually a quick swat on a fully clothed butt, haven't done it in over a year now), I do that to get their undivided attention. I want full, focused thought on myself and the words that are about to flow. (Don't ever run from Dad into the street, a car could hit and hurt you, what would Dad do without you.....etc). I never want to hurt my children, but to be a good parent I sometimes must. (Not driving with a friend who is an unsafe driver, embarrising my 12 year old, but asking for a phone number, or insisting I meet her friend's parents before she goes over. Or not letting her sit in the front seat because of an airbag/safety issue. Ask my DS9, I am the worlds worst Dad because I made him turn off his gameboy and do his homework, or made him go to karate class today when he wanted to watch TV) Funny, but they remember those incidents (when they complain about me or DW) far more than the 7 or so smakings they have gotten in their young lives. But guess what, my DD4 never ran into the street again, or between parked cars, and now warns her little daycare friends not to run into the street.
I try to base all of my decisions on my love of my children, and my respect for the individual they are becoming, but in my house copreal punsihment is a sucessful part of raising polite, intelligent, respectful and happy children. I personally find timeout useless on children over three, and also dismiss much of the psycho-babble, fad-of-the-week child rearing techniques as harmful, feel good crap!
I gotta go hug my kids now!
-Tony
P.S. In direct contact with felons and ex-cons, It is *MY BELIEF* (YMMV) that if many of them had, had a copreal punishing parent (or better yet two parents) they would have had much more respect for the law, and for others as well, and may have never broken the law, or callously hurt their victims. And we all would have been better off. In my experience, far more fellons come from 1 or no parent families, and any abuse they recieved was not from a parent and probably because of the abscence of parental concern.
I would have gladly taken a 10 paddlings at school than to have one from my mother! 
