[valkyrie]

I'm guessing that this all goes in cycles. I bet that many of today's parents who have these snarky little beasts running amok in our society were raised by very strict parents, and are now erring in the other direction because *they* don't want to be too strict. When their kids grow up, they may end up being strict again because their parents weren't. What I think people fail to realize (and of course I'm not really one to talk since I don't have kids) is that a little moderation may be best. If you're too strict, your kids become sneaky and don't learn how to think for themselves, and if you're too lenient, you end up with a feces throwing spectacle.

As for corporal punishment -- I couldn't disagree more. To me, hitting your children teaches them that violence is an effective tool to solve problems and resolve conflicts. I think that's never a good idea.