[trebb]

Spanking (getting their attention) at the ages when they are starting to be able to get in trouble can lead to them paying attention as they get older.

Too many equate spanking with beating and pool it in with hitting older kids...

[mountn man]

There are 2 words that people often confuse, but have different but similar meanings.

Discipline and punishment.

Discipline: the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

Punishment: the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.

Seldom were spankings the lone "punishment" for me.
Often they were the softening up exercise.
The "attention getter".

Granted, the spanking hurt and was part of the punishment, but it MADE me sit in my chair in the corner, until I was told to leave it.