Beating or paddling?

Darden McGlothlin says that he speaks with authority when he says that it is abhorrent that we allow our children to be beaten by anybody. I can agree with that statement, but I don't agree with his interpretation of "beating." According to him, I was beaten when I was a child -- my father beat me, my mother beat me, and my grandmother beat me. You see, what he's calling "beating" is just a good old-fashioned spanking.

Darden says there is proof that positive reinforcement works and negative reinforcement doesn't. He says that you wouldn't beat your puppy if you were trying to teach it to roll over. His analogy is faulty. He's confusing discipline for doing something wrong with a reward for doing something special. I would never beat my puppy at all, but I might give him a little slap on the rear, which according to Darden is beating, if I caught him chewing up my furniture. Darden asks, "Do we think our most precious assets, our children, should be kicked to the curb. . .?" Well, Darden, no one thinks that. But a lot of us certainly believe God knew better than you when he said that a good paddling never hurt any kid (paraphrased).

"Paddling not even good for dogs." The Dallas Morning News; April 21, 2010; p. 14A.