"You had better teach him not to kick people because when he comes home from school this fall with a black eye and a fat lip after kicking the wrong kid, it will be your fault." - a very good point.

Children need to learn that other people have boundaries.

I had a neighbor who never spanked. In fact she never held that kid accountable for anything. He would do things like hit another kid over the head with a Tonka truck and laugh. He grew into a self-centered adult with no empathy.

I also knew a parent who used a chair in the corner as punishment for his hyper son. The kid had to face the wall and not move. It looked like torture to me. I also wonder about the long term effects of a leash (some people still use them). Seems to me it might impede the development of motor skills.

In any event, its such a broad question that it is best left to the parent unless the spankings are severe and with such regularity that it constitutes abuse. I don't see how such a law could be enforced without neighbors turning on neighbors. Even then, if 'the authorities' can't find foster homes for the kids who have definitely been abused, what are they going to do with those who are spanked?

Education is the answer, not legislation.