My sister and I were both spanked when we were kids. Usually, for me, one spanking would deter me from ever doing what was wrong again. Mom said I learned pretty quickly. My sis, though, tended to be a little more resilient and would have to get some more than I did.
DH had whippings when he was a child, both him and his brother. Unfortunately, they had an angry father who was rather heavy with his punishment, and they did not have a great relationship with their dad as a result of this.
As parents, right now at this moment, we are having a hard time with our little girl who is 4 years old. She is extremely strong willed, and lately has been a complete hellion ( defiant, talking back, yelling--she even hit a little girl one day). We prefer not to spank, but have occasionally when she had done something bad that was dangerous to her ( like running out in the parking lot). We talk with her about her behavior and we use timeouts. We take away privileges ( watching her favorite movie, etc.) Her school uses timeouts and they seem to be effective. Timeouts at home, however, do not seem to work.
I would be more than happy to get some advice from more experienced parents! We are really concerned and want to try to figure out a better way to work with her.
A very concerned mommy!