would of solved nothing. raising kids is like raising a puppy. both dont know right from wrong from a young age. its our job to teach them, not with smacks but with words and how we say those word, tone.
my one and only daughter knows when im angry/upset with her just from the tone of my voice. the last time she got smacked on the bum or the back of the legs was before she started kindy. my wife on the other hand is a totally different creature. when our daughter acted up, my wife literally lost her shit and had me deal with it. myself being raised by europeans who didnt know better when it came to discipline me, they only knew they smacks and yelling, rarely was there anything explanation as to what i did wrong.