As a parent all I'll say is, the threat of a paddle is a great deterrent to a child's thought process of improper behavior. In my era, corporal punishment (or the fear of) in school was one thing that kept kids in line as opposed to how my sons have described how kids act in school today. If you had to get spanked by the principal it was known by the entire school. No one wanted that vilification hanging over their head. My sons are two of the best mannered people I know. I only had to paddle each of them one time, ever. There is a huge difference in discipline and abuse. Any time the one doing the discipline hits repeatedly or anywhere besides the bottom, or with anything besides a paddle (bread boards work ideally for this) (no belts, switches, anything thinner than a ruler). Not all kids require the same amount of discipline. Some are respectful enough that they do not do the things that would invoke correction. Others seem to go out of their way to get attention, albeit negative attention, simply for attention sake. Any time you have to resort to paddling repeatedly, the child is obviously not getting it, or does not care, so it is time to find another means of discipline.