First of all I resent equating "hitting" with a whack on the butt when dealing with a child throwing a fit in public or at home. Your writer kept using the hot word "Hitting" throughout the article I suppose to have parents think they are abusing their children when a spanking is in order. I myself was spanked when I needed it as a child as were my two brothers. None grew up to do poorly in school nor became social outcasts. All graduated in the upper 20 per cent of their schools, including college. It is impossible to reason with a 2-3-4 etc old child when trying to instill some discipline(sp) and anyone that has had children knows this. I once sat in front of a 5 year on a flight from Chicago to California. He kept kicking the back of my seat during the entire flight and mommy, in a soft, quiet voice "asked" him not to do so. The kid had other ideas. What is the author's solution to this problem? The "reasoned" method results in spoiled adults, knowing they will always get their way as long as they fuse long enough.