I think its really wong. Its abuse, not a punishment and it only makes the child hit and fight other people. I noticed that kids that get slaped by there perents go around hitting others if they get anoyed, they don't see it as anything rong, kids learn what they can and can't do from there perents so if there perents hit them then it must be alright for them to do it. And if a perent who slaps there child tell that child off for slapping someone its just confuses them how can they tell them of for somthing that they do themselfs. kids that don't get hit do tend to be less violent.
Stop child abuse.

I can see both sides of the argument and I can definitely see why your view makes sense. However, the majority of people I know were smacked as kids, and they're mostly all right.

I think recently people have begun to think: anything you wouldn't do to your best friends, you mustn't do to your kids, because they'll grow up thinking it's okay. But the difference is that your friends are independant people and if they want to take drugs, bully other people or steal then that's their own business and there isn't much you can do, except stop hanging out with them.

However, your children are your responsibility. They will depend on you to teach them right from wrong and if they do something wrong, like taking drugs or harming anyone else, they need to be taught quickly and effectively that that is very wrong. Otherwise they will just do it again, or they will do it behind their parents back because they think they can get away with it. They need to be scared out of doing it again and taught to respect their parents.

I've found that people (including me) whose parents bring them up in their own way, whether that includes smacking or not, will have better relationships with their parents than people whose parents just follow the rules in books or Supernanny, (ground them if they do something wrong, give them stickers if they do something right) because when their parents tell them off they sound like they mean it.

All this is in moderation of course. If you smack your kids, you have to show them love as well so that they know that it's for their own good and you do care about them. And they shouldn't be smacked with anything other than their parents' hands.