To Spank or Not to Spank, That is the Age-Old Question

The age-old debate over how parents should discipline their children took a new twist last week when a "20/20" investigative report put the spotlight on a minister who advocates the spanking babies who cry too much.

Philip Caminiti, pastor of the Aleitheia Bible Church in Wisconsin, which is part of the Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches, is facing child abuse charges for practicing what he preaches. He maintains that babies should be beaten with wooden rods if they are "emotional, grumpy, or crying” and that bruising and redness are the marks of a meaningful paddling, the ABC report said.

While it's likely that most would not agree with such an extreme philosophy, there are no hard and fast rules for when corporal punishment is appropriate -- if ever.

Some would say violence begets violence, that children learn at the hand of the parent -- literally. But others say the occasional spanking -- one that constitutes a swat on the rear, not a slap in the face -- instills discipline and offers another tool in a parent's arsenal when time-outs just aren't cutting it.

Interestingly, one recent study done at the University of New Hampshire reportedly shows that children who are spanked have lower IQs than those whose caregivers spare the rod. Professor Murray Straus and colleagues studied a nationally representative sample of more than 17,000 2- to 9-year-olds in 32 countries.

But there are the issues of perception and culture to consider as well. Rush University College of Nursing professor Dr. Deborah Gross found that low-income African-American parents supported the practice of spanking because they saw time-outs as an example of why white children become "spoiled" and "ill-mannered."

Some parents look back on their own childhood spanking experiences and decide that if it didn't hurt them or prevent them from growing up to be reasonable, disciplined adults, the same will be true for their children.

So, we ask, do you think it's OK to occasionally spank a child? What situations might justify the action?

And if you're opposed to spanking, what disciplinary tactics have you tried that you can recommend to other parents? Do time-outs work when kids get older?

Have you spanked your child and later regretted it? Or, if you never spanked your child, do you look back and think there may have been instances where it would have been effective?

Tell us what you think.