You have a point but I can recall when my kids were little they would try to get away with things in public they'd never try, at home. All parents have been through this. I don't disagree with you that having a parental meltdown in Wal Mart is no way to behave - but part of me is sympathetic. Better to haul little junior home and lower the boom on him, in private, certainly. What lowering the boom might entail depends on the situation.

Still, it is hard to practice "time out" when you aren't in control of your environment and the child knows it. Which is why time out is such a great tool for some situations and dismal for others. Not all parents have the temperament or intelligence to use time out effectively. It takes a lot more effort and finese than swats. If you really need to pick up a prescription RIGHT NOW for another sick child and no one is there to watch junior while you stand in line at the pharmacy for junior No. 2's medicine, it isn't like you can simply glare at him and say, "We're going home RIGHT NOW and no happy meal for you!"

As soon as my kids pulled that nonsense in public, the outing was over. It worked, to a point, but wasn't perfect. Some days, the kids were just overflowing with energy. Back in the day, a swift swat to the behind was accepted but that is frowned upon, these days A lot of people think that encourages violence. Truth be told, I am a lot more worried that the little monster will inflict violence on me when he becomes an adult if he is allowed to run wild than if he gets an occasional swat to curtail pitching a fit in Wal Mart. Of course, the screaming and scolding by the parent that frequently goes along with it at the Wal Mart is the real problem, seems to me.

For what it's worth, I see a lot more kids in trouble with the law whose parents were too lax than those whose parents were too strict. Of course, strict is not the same as harsh, granted. All the same, even the harsh parents (within limits) tend to have kids better prepared to deal with this tough old world than the ones who wrap them in cotton, let them run wild and pretend the rest of the world will love them the same way they do... I deal with kids in the court system for a living. The biggest problem most of them have - MOST OF THEM, mind you - is a lack of respect for others. They think the world revolves around themselves and have no feelings of empathy or respect for the rights of others. Kids that are allowed to run wild do NOT transfer the notion that since they should have rights, others should, too. The Golden Rule seems intuitive but it needs to be taught.

Back to swats. Spankings are immediate and get a young child's attention right at the moment the poor behavior is taking place. That counts for a lot with a child. Abuse is abuse but that is a whole different thing than a spanking. I prefer time out but good parents should have a lot of arrows in their quiver.