There seems to be a lot of discussion on whether we should or should not spank our kids. Personally, I find this debate ludicrous as it instantly associates the act of spanking, or any act of discipline for that matter, as an act of child abuse. As a parent let me be the first to cry BS! on that one. Kids need discipline. They need to have boundaries set for them and they need to be punished when they cross beyond those boundaries. Furthermore, the PARENTS are the ones who need to act as judge and jury for their kids, not the schools, not the teachers.. the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents.

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There is a line between administering discipline and abusing your child. I was spanked as a kid when I did something bad and it taught me, real fast, not to repeat the behavior again. I was spanked, but I was never abused. When parents use physical discipline as a last resort, after at least one (1) verbal warning, and they keep this discipline fast, clean and quick the it will send the message without abusing the child. I think abuse can be defined as an act of physical discipline where the punishment is more severe than the crime (i.e. using humiliation tools as well), an object other than an open hand is used or any definition which suggests the child is put in risk of genuine physical danger. Yes, the definitions need to be spelled out to the letter and that will require some serious discussion.
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It is the hope of every decent parent that their child will grow up tall and proud, with a good sense of morals and an understanding of what is right and wrong. However, as we all know, that road is far from smooth and, occasionally, we may need to direct our kids back onto the right path and keep them in check. It seems these days that too many parents go to extremes with their kids, either punishing them beyond the point of abuse or refusing to punish them at all.. both actions have similar results, I fear: it puts the child at risk of growing up with a perverted sense of justice and a fear/hatred towards authority. The arguments of emotional damage from spanking is nothing compared to the emotional damage of a child that is abused or neglected. There are a LOT of good parents out there that are afraid to punish their kids under the threat of being labeled a child abuser and "bad parent".
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It's time we give the power back to the good parents and set the focus on the genuine child abusers, whether they be the stereotypical physical abuser we've seen in the movies or the "atypical" abusers that leave their kids locked in a hot car while they go to the local bar or casino.
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Discipline leads to good kids. Good kids have a far better chance at being good adults.