Because we all know how well respect works with child discipline! The only thing most kids respect is the fear of pain.

I don't agree with that. I physcially discipline my children, when they need it, especially when in response to them doing something dangerous (like running into the street). To me a smack on the bottom is like a punctuation mark, and once they have the memory of the punctuation mark all I have to do is count to 5, and 9/10 times they have moderated their behavior by 3. My children respect me (and my authority) beyond any pain I could inflict on them. At 6 my oldest son RARELY gets spanked like maybe 2 times a year (by me) my wife has her own brand of discipline and it usually gets physical only when she is at the end of her rope. My wife and I had a LONG talk about physical discipline before we had children, we were both subject to it. My mother was the one who dished and today I respect her immensely, my father never touched me (But he also wasn't much of a parent). Likewise her mother doled out most of the physical punishment but in a very cruel way and her father was always the threat but rarely the stick. The difference between our families and upbringing was that while I was told "I love you" by both parents often, she (from a large and fairly traditional Catholic family) was almost NEVER reassured of her parent's love. We tell our children we love them every day MULTIPLE times a day. I have never left a mark on one of my children that lasted more than a few minutes, and I'm not neccesarily proud of that, but I AM proud of how my children behave in public and with other children.

I agree with blur, as long as it is random, a good smack on the bottom is needed every now and then to keep kids inline.

Funny how many rights kids have now a days.

May i only say...
GODDAMNIT!

I don't think that hitting solves any behavior problems. Children copy their parents' actions; just wait until your child gets bigger and hits you! I have seen this happen, particularly to single mothers of teenagers. Hitting creates more problems than it solves.

That being said, I don't think it's any government's business!