Spanking children... acceptable or not as discipline?

[LeftyMom]

52. You know what does work really well? Before there's a problem tell the kid what you do want.

"Hey kid, we're going to go into the grocery store. Do you remember what the rules are at the grocery store? We don't grab. We don't raise our voices. We stick close to our cart. We don't ask for treats that aren't on the list." Get the kid to repeat the rules by rote. Add and adjust rules as necessary.

Little ones are pretty eager to please, but they're genuinely befuddled by the changing complexities of adult rules much of the time. Telling them what's needed before they get into trouble and get frustrated and upset saves a lot of headaches. So does learning to avoid situations where they are hungry, tired or overwhelmed and heading trouble off at the pass. A lot of time what seems like defiance is just being so overwhelmed that their brains BSOD on them.

Making scary noises at them? Toddlers are sensitive! Of all the toddlers I've ever dealt with I think about half of them would burst into inconsolable tears or pitch a tantrum if somebody made a startling scary noise at them, even if they weren't already overwhelmed and upset. While upset? Closer to 90%. Seriously, that's a perfectly awful idea.