What qualifications does the author of this article claim to have? My wife and I raised six children. If they deserved a smack it was applied. My wife carried a ping-pong paddle in her purse. Just the reference to that was all that was needed in most cases. Our children are now well-adjusted, educated adults, holding positions of high degree in the workplace. Two are parents themselves and their children are also well-adjusted, non-timeout children.

I also can point to my days in school when the threat! of a possible paddling was all that was needed to ensure quality schooling. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for today's schools. If a teacher so much as makes a discipline threat (which no longer happens) they would find themselves the object of legal action by parents who questioned anyone correcting their "little darlings."

Just remember what happened to the son of the learned Dr. Spock!