How hard to spank my child?

I have a 7 year old child and I use spankings as a punishment. I want to know how hard to spank them and how many times... thanks

Um try talking things out. Spanking = abuse

SPANKING ISENT THE RITE THING TO DO you SHOULD JUST SIT WITH YOUR CHILD QUIETLY UNTIL HE/SHE CALMS DOWN NO SPANKING AT ALL ITS ILIGAL

Children should never be spanked. If it were an adult it would be an arrestable offence. Children have every right not to be conditioned to think of this as acceptable.

okay, thanks for the great advise everyone

Generally, don't spank as spanking usually only changes the immediate moment, without really changing overall behavior.
That being said, occasionally you might have to resort to it when safety is involved - e.g. stop them from repeatedly running out into the street. (But of course, the child has to be able to understand about consequences of his actions.)
When you do spank, open hand only, on the bottom only, and only one swat. More than one swat is ALWAYS just your anger being released on the child. (E.g. If John Cena punched a loony that was waving around a brick, that would be for protection. If he kept hitting the loony, it would be for revenge.)
The main thing to remember is that bringing up kids is not a matter of letting them grow without any control. And then after a while finding you have an out of control kid on your hands, and then trying to resort to force.

It takes a huge commitment of you time, patience, and dedication to raise kids. And it has to start from the beginning. That is a big reason that it is best that two people raise a child, because they can support each other.

alexalexa, the question isn't fake, nor is the user.

Fau is anonymously posted questions...real questions by real people who want to remain anonymous.

Spank them to the point where they cry, but don't leave a mark.

Spanking is not abuse; it's discipline. Spanking communicate the rules, boundaries and limitations in clear terms that very young children can understand. Parents shouldn't have to waste their time reasoning with toddlers.

TALK,TALK,TALK 2 your child spanking=wrong

Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:

Child buttock-battering for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.

Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.

I think the reason why television shows like Supernanny and Dr. Phil are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.

There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:

Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,

The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,

NO VITAL ORGANS THERE So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.

Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads.

Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:

American Academy of Pediatrics,

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,

Center For Effective Discipline,

PsycHealth Ltd Behavioral Health Professionals,

Churches' Network For Non-Violence,

Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,

Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,

Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In 26 countries, child buttock-battering is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.