I'm going to preface this with saying that although we don't spank, we know that it's a personal choice and that I USUALLY don't have any problem with people who DO spank their kids (my sister does--last resort/only thing that works with that kid kind of thing).

If I were the parent of a child in your daycare, I would not (probably) be terming my children just because I learned that you spank your children UNLESS for some reason I didn't trust that you would NOT do that to mine--and if I didn't trust that then my child probably wouldn't have entered your care in the first place!

I have once borderline terminated a friendship because I learned that the parents spank their children--I was/am still sad about it because this family fits mine in SO many ways that are usually hard to find. But I don't agree with the *particular* philosophy they use (spanking a 9 month old? Or a 14 month old? Or even their just-turned-2 year old multiple times a day for the most MINOR and developmentally normal infractions?) and for that, I felt that it would be hard for me to be friends with them.

I have considered, once or twice, giving my DD a swat on the butt, but have always reconsidered *because that's my choice*. And yet, my DD manages to be very well-behaved for her age, and even when she does act up *I handle it* which is more than can be said for many non-spanking parents. This is because I understand child development and therefore know what going on mentally behind the undesireable behavior. I correct that in so much as I can. So far she's turning out to be a pretty good example of how it's possible to raise a challenging child without spanking, but I don't begrudge others the right to spank.

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