Concerning the topic of beating your kids, I'm absolutely against child abuse. But when the child is physically disciplined because he has disobeyed his parents, that is assuredly the best way to go about things. If a parent's first reactions to an infraction is to merely lash out abusively against the child, that type of behavior will only serve to traumatize the child and set the stage for further conflict. But theories only go so far; my parents spanked me when I was a child, but every single time, right before I was spanked, they would explain why they were disciplining me, and tell me that they were doing this because they loved me. Honestly, this seemed completely contrary to me, as most kids dont associate spanking with love, but as an adult I'm hugely appreciative that my parents spanked me, as it provided a tangible consequence to my actions. When I got older, I was spanked less and less because other punishments hurt me more, such as having my phone taken away or losing my computer privileges. But I've known kids whose parents never spanked them, and merely give them warnings or other punishments, and these kids have grown into extremely immature adults, who have no sense of consequence.