Good post, Mrb...
I too was hit DAILY while growing up as a child, and well into college years! As a parent, I never once hit my daughter. I just chose to be a different kind of parent, resorting to reasoning rather than corporal punishment. She and I have always had a wonderful relationship, and still do today.
Spoiled by our surrounding, our convenient life, is different than being spoiled to the extent of hitting the ones who love and protect us, in my opinion. There is never an acceptable excuse for hitting.
Seeker