I agree with one previous poster: children are rarely ever sorry they did something; they are sorry they got caught, or have had to come to terms with consequences. Don't force your kids to apologize.

I agree with the one minute per year rule

Spanking, when done properly, can be effective. Don't spank or do timeouts in anger. and for whoever said that if you need to spank more than once per offense, the child didn't learn, needs a wake up call. Whatever your method of discipline, children rarely get the message the 1st time, unless it truly scares them - like the 1st time they got burned. I know I've had to use time outs and priveledge take-aways more than once for the same crime, kids need repetition to burn things in their brain.

The article wasn't bad, but I dont' think it really reckogyzes that different methods work for different families, and even different children. Of my three cousins (all girls) the eldest responded best to immediate spankings. timeouts did little; she liked being alone. the middle child was unfazed by spankings; time outs worked much better with her, as with the youngest who hates being left alone. I was, for the most part, a spanked child, especially when I was younger. Also got time-outs. As I got older, both happened less and my parents went more towards taking away priveldges. I think any parent just has to learn and grow with their kids and see what works best.