I agree with everything The Flying Butter has said! I am so exhausted right now I wasn't able to put together such well written out advice.

I was smacked as a child, and I do believe it was abusive, and it really has put into perspective with me how and why I feel the way I do about smacking. I DO NOT want to put my children through that, and the only way I can effectively do that is to not smack, at all, because I don't know where exactly the line is between physical punishment and abuse. I want my children to not fear me, I want them to see me as approachable. I want them to respect me so in turn I will respect them. I want to teach them, but not through fear, embarrassment and shame.