I got the entire gamut of punishments as a kid. I wasn't even a bad kid. Not at all. Worst thing I did as a kid was accidentally lose a dangly diamond earring my grandma left me in her will, that my mom wanted to sell. I got into a few fights or whatever, but it was only in self defense. I was straight as an arrow. I always did my homework, I was nice to my cousins, I played very quietly, cleaned my plate, never asked for much of anything.
I never started acting out until I was a teen, and even then, it was only things that were destructive to myself, no one else.
But my whole life I was abused, neglected. If I even made the SLIGHTEST mis-step or mistake (always menial stuff ... accidentally stacking dishes in the dishwasher a way different from how my mom told me, or eating the last lemon cream donut, or putting a sign out for bday party guests to "place presents here" [thinking that it would be cute ... but no, it was too "presumptuous", despite my being an 11-year-old on her bday], etc. etc.), it was verbal abuse, it was dictionaries flying across the room, it hiding in the back of the closet to avoid a strangling.
Perhaps I was so mild-mannered and good BECAUSE I was abused. Perhaps I acted out as a teen because of it, too. Perhaps I'm the EXTREMELY antisocial wallflower, who apologizes for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING at the drop of a hat, because of all of that mess. Probably.
See, a quick little punishment ... In a normal kid, a quick punishment, like a harsh tone, or a little swat, would tell them immediately, "hey, don't do that." But abuse changes the way a kid acts for their entire lives. It changes their psyche, not just their actions. And never for the better.
In some kids, like sixty, they lose scope of punishment altogether. They lose respect for authority, since they in turn receive no respect. They become rubber. EVERYTHING bounces off of them.
In some kids, like me, they lose all ego and self-will. They're to blame for everything. They absorb the damage, like a sponge. Or more aptly, they're glue. Everything sticks to them, and they carry it around their whole lives.
Paddling is fine. Done correctly, it delivers more fear than pain. Children innately WANT to be accepted, to be loved. You can punish them, but you don't take away the love, the respect.
I don't understand why some people have a hard time differentiating between punishment and abuse.
If you leave a mark, if you see terror in their eyes, you should know that you've crossed a line no loving parent should EVER cross.