Yesterday evening while watching the nightly news I heard of the latest Canadian study that concludes spanking can be detrimental to the development of a child and more than likely cause problems later in life. Well if I apply this to my own experiences I would have to disagree 100%. Growing up in an Italian family my parents weren’t any different than anyone else’s. In many of the families which I grew up  around, the father was usually the bread winner, commanding respect for the sacrifices made. Mothers stayed home, the children would experiment and run wild, if out of control, the wooden spoon was used for discipline. Failing that when the father arrived, more discipline would be administered in the form of ‘the shots’. Punishment was determined by the severity of the crime, either a slap, a belt or yard stick. Even teachers were encouraged  to beat us, if we stepped out of line as hard work and education were mandatory. Sometimes you would get hit and just wondered why? What did I do? The response would be, “Just in case, for next time.” Overall I can say the   friends I grew up with were more than normal and many today are successful. Of course some parents may go to far, as my own father today would be in jail for the beating he gave my when I picked up his cigarette butts. I just  wanted to emulate him. That beating served a dual purpose 1) he realized smoking was not healthy and quit, 2) if I try and smoke I get a flashback of that beating not giving the nicotine time to enter my body. Therefore to  conclude, maybe a slap once in a while would have a positive effect, if discipline and respect are the final results. Look at kids today, I rest my case. Sincerely-Philip Magnoli, my friends call me Don Filippo