Experts say most parents often reach this point with their kids, where you feel like you can't take it anymore. And it usually happens when we are tired or stressed and that's not how I want to be when I am wrestling with the decision to spank or not to spank.
Many child psychologists say while spanking can certainly change a child's behavior quickly and temporarily, it isn't effective in the long-run. In fact, if you're spanking your child fairly often, then it must not be working very well. What I've learned in my 8 years as a parent, is that spanking can make your child afraid of you, and perhaps show him that you lack self-control.
A friend of mine who says he was spanked by his dad when he was young, is still resentful and angry at his father. He and I both agreed recently that there are other ways to discipline a child that can be just as effective - if not more so. My wife and I are big fans of time-outs (maybe because we both like sports) and it seems to work most of the time with my son.
I've seen some parents who redirect or distract their misbehaving child by picking them up and letting them cool down or simply leaving the room themselves to prevent doing something they might regret later.
There's plenty of methods to discipline your child that don't resort to spanking. When I get tempted, it's important for me to find another way to encourage my son to behave better, while at the same time showing him (and me) that violence isn't a way to ensure better behavior.
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