I have never spanked or hit my daughter. I rarely have been mad enough to do that. My feeling was, and is, that once you've done that, you don't really have any recourse past it-- so why not stop short of it. I know that some people would say that kids need to be physically disciplined on occasion, and there have been times that I've thought about it, but somehow it never seemed right to me. Now, of course, she's old enough that it wouldn't really be right in any case.
I do raise my voice to her on occasion, tonight being one of them. She was displaying what felt, and feels, like a callous disregard for her future. I think I was right to do so. Still, later, I apologised for doing it. I guess its important to me that she knows I still love her even after being mad at her. I know she knows.... but I figure it doesn't hurt to mention it. I suspect that there are people who would say that apologising makes me a weak parent. Fortunately, my wife isn't one of them.
