Bradley Jay: 'Does "Spanking" Do A Child More Harm Than Good?'

Bradley Jay: 'Does "Spanking" Do A Child More Harm Than Good?'

Nobody seems to be on the fence about the appropriateness of mild child spanking as a means of discipline.

On the one hand, some parents believe a swat to the behind to be a quick, benign, and effective means of establishing boundaries. They feel that at the end of the day, time-out drags out and words are not enough. Most were themselves spanked as children and they feel what worked on them will work on their kids. Some believe time out is more humiliating than a quick spank.

Other parents say that spanking teaches violence as a means of conflict resolution and leads to bullying. These folks choose a verbal approach that relies on reason and tone of voice.

Then there is the hybrid group that employs the softer approach initially, backed by the last resort of corporal punishment.

Do you feel it better to "spare the rod" when it comes to raising children or do you feel the sting of discipline must at times be a physical thing?

Click play to watch the video and check out what some fun folks in Boston's North End have to say on the subject.