Tattling is also okay when the child is seeking honest justice, such as when your child tells you who vandalized the school with spray paint.

when you plead with him not to hurt Mommy, he’s not tracking with you. There will be plenty of time to do some explaining when your kids get a little older

When your child is very young, I suggest swatting the back of his leg if he’s whining or squirming and using your hand to smack the top of his hand if he’s touching something he shouldn’t. As he gets a little older, swat him on the buttocks or, if he’s wearing a diaper, just below the diaper on the back of the upper thigh. Spanking should never be

I call this kind of spanking “training swats” because your mindset at this point should be very much in the mode of a trainer. You’ve adopted the point of view of a drill sergeant, out to produce a disciplined, self-controlled marine.

So what do you do? Keep berating him until he comes up with a better answer? No. You tell him why he did what he did.

Children also need protection from perverted and immature adults. In our sexually addicted culture, sexual molestation and pedophilia are on the rise. And sadly, the usual perpetrators of these crimes are family members—uncles, cousins, older brothers, and the like.

Expect that during the toddler and preschool years, fighting over toys and attention from Mom and Dad will be a regular occurance.

Parents who say, “I’ve tried spanking, and it doesn’t work with my child,” are usually not spanking or swatting hard enough, often enough, consistently enough, or promptly enough.

So we tried to change his frustration into something completely different.