> (I totally deserved it though)

The commonality of this qualifier kind of disturbs me.

You were a kid. Kids have no idea what they're doing or what's going on and don't deserve shit.

What do you mean by kids? I have seen four year olds that know quite a lot and kids are good at emotional manipulation and pushing the limits of what's allowed.

Kids do this because that's their job. They're children. They often learn about the world by pushing up against boundaries.

I was hit pretty severely by my parents. It didn't teach me any moral lessons. There's no way it would teach any child decent values, all they'll learn from it is (a) might makes right and (b) don't get caught.

I cannot conceive of and have never heard a convincing argument for seriously hitting a child. They're smaller than you, defenseless, and we're talking about a behavior that you would, hopefully, never do to a stranger, your coworkers, your friends, your spouse, etc. Why do it to your child?

The only real reason that weirdly makes sense, but I completely disagree with, is you think your child is your property, so you get to hit it.

My parents smacked me on the bottom or tweaked my ear a couple of times when I was a kid. I learned pretty fast that some situations are worth taking notice of...

It matters a lot how the parents treat you otherwise. In my case it happened rarely and it came with a scolding to clarify what I did wrong.

Exactly. Kids are like sponge. They learn to behave in a way they see in the world. That's why yelling and beating isn't a good way to raise them.

Source: was raised like that!

Well, you might not have been hit as a child. A lot of children are. And being one of them, let me assure you, none of my friends knew the shit I went through at home. Nobody still knows.

So yeah, it might not be Normal for you, and I am genuinely happy that you weren't abused as a child. More power to you.

I am in this boat too. I have diagnosed PTSD that still haunts me to this day.

This stood out to me from the article:

“Spanking alone is associated with outcomes similar to those of children who experience physical abuse, the new academy statement says.“

Spanking is not similar to child abuse. It is child abuse.

I disagree, strongly. Spanking can be child abuse. But it isn't always.

And yes, I was spanked. By my parents, and at least once by a babysitter. The only one I really remember was the babysitter, not because the pain was so bad, but because she not only pulled my pants down to do it (no padding to help me), but also eventually made me leave them down because I was going to get another spanking pretty soon anyway. You might regard that as abuse, but I remember it because it was unusual, not because it was so horrible. (And yes, I was being a snot to her...)

Well the best part of being abused as a child is that if you grow up without the typical anti social behaviour, you get some sense of clarity about how the worls truly is

Other kids who were having better parents than mine are now fucking delusional while I am having the right priorities, I dont5 waste money, save as much as I can because there is no fucking way I am going to ask them for help again! Back then I was helpless, I ain't helpless any more

But that is if you arent5 fucked up, if you are then you are damaged goods for life

People react differently to the same stimuli. What may traumatize one person, may not do anything to the next.

I was totally fucked up as a child, adult. Didn't have any friends. It wasn't until I was 25 that I met my first real best friend who "took care" of me in the literal sense. Now I'm relatively normal. I literally owe my life to my best friend! Lucky they I have her