I have been around so many naughty children whose parents smack/ discipline them....and the child is left wondering "What did I do wrong? Why did mummy/ daddy smack me?"
I find that if we explain to our children why they are getting punishment or a smack then they will have a better understanding of what is right and what is wrong, and of what they can and cannot do! I also feel that they will feel more loved.

For example. My daughter Emily pulled all her sheets and clothes out of her bedroom draws last thursday, she got a smack for it, not a hard one, but a firm one....i don't believe in leaving marks on children.  Anyway it upset her so i settled her down, staying in her bedroom in front of the mess. I explained to my daughter that I smacked her because she pulled all her items of clothing and sheets out of her draws, i then showed her the mess. I told her that this was the wrong thing to do, because it makes the room look untidy and also because they do not belong on the floor! I then told her I loved her and that I didn't want her to be a naughty girl!

Since that day she hasn't touched her draws, she isn't frightened, she just knows that she's not allowed to pull everything out!

We need to let our children know that we discipline them for a reason.....not just smack them and walk away! They need to know what they have done wrong! BEcause children, I feel, are very much like adults, if not smarter!