Okay...actually everyone on here is giving great feedback, but the bottomline is ALL KIDS ARE DIFFERENT. AND SO ARE PARENTS. They say now-a-days that more kids and adults are being dianiosed with ADHD, ADD, AND BI-POLAR. Which means that they need extra "help" with learning how to be a "good child" or parent. Even with their meds, it's hard...for the child and the parents. Now let's switch it....let's say that the parent had the ADHD, ADD, BI-POLAR, OR EVEN WORST...NOT MENTALLY STABLE... Then grown up you learn NOT to your child in the same corner that you were put in??? At any rate, I can sit here and say that hitting in my situation works....but it only works for me. For others....I can't really say....I'm not in their "situation". A friend of mine has a lil' boy (and I have a girl) so I thought the reasons for him being unruley was because he was a "boy" and didn't take into the fact that, he had both parents on drugs for the first 18 months of his life and didn't get any of the attention he needed, so it's now reflecting on his behavior now at 3 yrs old. Both parents are now clean and separated, but still have the right intentions in life now. He gets a spanking now and then but not beating. When he is doing "wrong things", they take the time to explain and if that doesn't go anywhere....then he gets a tap on the a** and put in his room where he's told to think. After a few she (the mom) goes in and talks with him. It's hard....like the saying goes...you make ur bed...now you have to lay in it. I try to help her as much as possible, I don't like to hit or have I ever hit my daughter...who is now 14. She has the usual "mouth" going on sometimes, but she def knows when she is pushing it. WITH ANY CHILD IN THE WORLD....YOU HAVE TO KEEP CONSISTENCY. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN....AND DO WHAT YOU SAY. If you give in cuz you feel sorry for the child....you are only hurting the child. believe it or not...parenthood is probably the hardest JOB in the world. Don't even be too proud to ask for HELP....I.E. Dr.s, grandparents, friends, ect. If you sooooo "mad"....walk away and come back them til you can handle it.