I think abuse should be illegal, but hitting and abuse are two different things. I'm personally against spankings, and I always have been, but I don't think they should be illegal. It's a parent's choice as to whether they spank or not. It's not something a government should decide.

My mother was the disciplinary figure so she did spank my brother and I. He was spanked much more often than I was, however, because I usually didn't get in trouble and when I did, I mainly remember her using the "time out bench" or standing in a corner or something.

However, I do know that studies have shown that children who are spanked are more aggressive than children who have not been spanked. This is why psychologists tend to recommend time outs (only up to about age 7 or so) instead of spankings.

I also agree with those who brought up verbal and emotional abuse - I received plenty from my mother (and still do occasionally) after my father left when I was a child. The words I hear and the things I remember hearing - those are the things that make me not want to interact with her - not me remembering, "Oh, she spanked me that one time." Consequently, my brother, who received less emotional abuse overall, interacts with her much more than I do (and I live in the same house with her - he doesn't).