la petite moi

There is a BIIIIIIIIG difference between spanking and flat out hitting/beating a child. I'm only an 18 year old, but I know that spanking is giving your kid a tap on the butt and very sternly telling them 'no.' I think it's alright for a child that will not be reasoned with, but that child needs to understand why he/she is spanked.

Hitting a child, on the other hand, is abuse. It is wrong to physically harm a child to the point where it makes them afraid of their own parents. I've gone through it, and I'm a sure others have too. It affected me to the point that pleasure is pain, pain is punishment, and I have a low self-esteem. That is NOT what a child needs.

Spanking- okay, if needed and reasoning will not get the kid to stop.
Hitting- never okay, and if the parents continues, the abuse should be reported.

Edit: Also, I think that hitting is when you leave marks, or emotionally/mentally affect that child.