Great post... I would interject one thing however. As a parent, I agree corporal punishment disconnected from cause and effect; i.e., consequences may have deleterious effects. After all acting in anger over anything is poor use of judgment. However, if one that clearly puts the responsibility squarely in the hands of the doer is another thing.
If a set of consequences for an act are clearly spelled out well prior to any breach of duty, or responsibility, and repeated by the child in his own words with understanding, the child's willingness to defy clear and explained orders should be an object lesson in the impersonality of nature.
Stupid acts lead to stupid and often unavoidable consequences. One HAS to take responsibility for one's OWN life in all things. Nature doesn't care.
“Opinions are valueless as evidence without exploration of the underlying facts and rational showing the path from the facts to the opinion.”
