Let me share something with you. When I was 13 years old, my cousin was aged just 3. His mother and father had seperated, and she got herself a new boyfriend. This new boyfriend got her into drugs and didn't like my cousin being around. Mother was high on drugs (we still don't really know whether she took them herself or if he put them in her food etc) - and her new boyf locked cousin in his room so he couldn't get out, neither of them fed him and on another night boyf LOCKED HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE. Deliberately. At three years old, at one o clock in the morning.
Cousin ran away, 50 yards away his grandparents lived but he couldn't get in the house nor reach the doorbell. So he sat in their garden all night. And mother didn't even notice he'd gone.
Until this night, we didn't know any of this was going on. Cousin had been told by the boyf if he told anyone, he'd KILL him.
Smacking is just one form of discipline. Every mother on here i'm sure is a caring and loving mother who would do anything for their children. Just remember there is REAL abuse going on out there. A little smack every now and then doesn't constitute as abuse, as many of you on this thread appear to be suggesting.
(By the way cousin is now 14 and has lived with grandparents ever since that horrible horrible night. It still affects him in some ways but he's had plenty of love from the rest of his family, and brought up to respect people, and despite what has happened he's a good lad).
Sorry this was such a long rant I just got cross at the thought of everyone getting irate about little smacks when my poor cousin (and sadly many other children) had/have it so, so much worse.