There is no doubt that the events that occur in a child's early years have an important effect on their emotional development and future behavior. From the beginning of time children have been disciplined and punished for misbehaving, not listening to directions, or disobeying rules. Only a generation ago, disciplinary spanking was commonly related to punishment and overall discipline Teachers were allowed, and often encouraged, to use corporal punishment in school. "Spare the rod and spoil the child," was a routine phrase in child rearing recommendations. However, this philosophy has become very controversial. As yesterday's children become tomorrow's parents, generational disciplinary techniques are not being handed down. Can we use punishments such as spanking to help modern parenting? Some parents may have grown up fearing their fathers belt buckle, while other parents have grown up only fearing their mothers harsh words and criticisms. When it comes to raising a child, one hot debate that rages all across the globe centers on whether or not spanking your child is effective or harmful as a disciplinary tactic. You'll find that this subject has been argued fiercely from both sides with no real give or take from either. The common perception that spanking is a form of child abuse affects the discipline of today's youth. Some parents are actually afraid to discipline their own children using the same method of belief from their own upbringing. Who is correct in the notion of right and wrong discipline? Is there such a thing as a correct way to spank your child? Some would say so. Many do believe that spanking can be an effective disciplinary tool; however, there is a fine line between what spanking is and what many would consider child abuse. Keeping the child's best interest in mind, we may ask ourselves what is considered a "spanking  and why has this topic become so controversial? The American Academy of Pediatrics says that "to spank  literally means "to slap or smack a person, especially a child, with an open hand . When reading that definition, "spanking  appears to be a significant, violent act. Most people do not want to hit, smack, or slap their children, but what if a brief interruption that causes shock value to child eliminates the undesirable behavior? Is it worth it then? How do we decide where to draw the line? Studies have shown that there can be long lasting benefits when parents interrupt dangerous behavior by spanking their child. For example, your child runs into a busy street. The positive impact that a spanking has on this child at this moment may far outweigh the alternative; that being an injured or dead child. I think most people would agree that calmly walking out to the middle of the busy street to reason with your child is not rational given the risks involved. Not only is immediate attention needed; the severity of the risky behavior needs to be emphasized. Research shows if you do not use spanking for routine discipline, it can be very shocking for your child to have this consequence. This can then result in the child remembering this is behavior they do not