Did you hear the thing on NPR this morning about self-regulation and the drop in children's ability to self-regulate? They attribute this decrease to manufactured toys and to activities that are directed by adults--at least I think that is what I understood. I was wondering if self-regulation is linked to autistic spectrum disorder or to ADD/ ADHD?

I've just started spanking my son, but not for everything. It really is effective once in a while. You two should decide something in the middle. Use whatever method you prefer for small things, and spank for more serious things.

We actually use a specific method called 1-2-3 Magic. There is a book and website that describes the approach in deal. Basically, each time your son/daughter starts misbehaving you start counting them. For the first offense, you say "That's 1." It's a quick way of warning them. If you get to 3, they go straight to timeout. If they're 2 years old, they get 2 minutes, 3 years old, 3 minutes, and so on. Some offenses, like hitting, are an immediate "3" and a timeout. This approach has been very effective for us, especially if used consistently. We still spank occasionally, but it is a last resort in our discipline tool arsenal. I've found a really good debate about the pros and cons of spanking at www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-spanking-an-acceptable-form-of-discip.... Experts from both sides weigh in and give their feedback about spanking. Hope you find a method that works well for your family!

I agree w/ you glopsey.

i have 5 kids and i never spank i just take things away ,i would not want some one to smack me so why would i smack my child my children are well behaved and know right from wrong they understand something else i do is talk with them and find out why and then together we talk about how we can change what we did wrong ,it is kinda funny because now my youngest comes to me if i mess up and asks me "mom why did you do that and how can we work to make it right "