exactly.
my mother had an interesting trick, for those times when we'd start mouthing off in public (as three-somethings often do)
she'd reach across the table...
grip our lower jaws...
squeeze to the point of pain...
drag us face-first across the table...
until we were nose to nose with her...
and then she'd his in the deadliest of whispers: "You can be quiet, or I will give you something to scream about."
I believe my sister needed that "something" only once, and I needed it twice.
needless to say, we did not scream in public for no reason after we got the point.
The important thing: she was never angry, never excessive, and never inflicted hurt without clear cause.
My aunts told me about my grandfather who would wash their mouths out with soap if they used foul language. He used to say you had something in your mouth that I wouldn't want in my floor and apply the soap to their tongues. It made a definite impression. All those kids turned out great and LOVED my grandfather.