Formerly called spanking, it has been the punishment of choice for generations of well-meaning parents. People who readily admitted to spanking their children, however, would never admit to hitting them. Hitting other children, in fact, is one of the offenses for which parents spanked. One of the many problems with spanking is that no one ever discusses the desired degree of force behind it. There are still plenty of folks who talk about sparing the rod and spoiling the child.
Familiar patterns die hard.
Old-timers may tell you that the problem with today's children is that their parents don't whip them enough. And if they're real smart, the next time they have a disagreement with a friend, they'll try to solve it the way you taught them - by slugging it out. This is such a simple concept it's embarrassing that it's taken so long to grasp. It's really that simple. It contributes to a climate of violence, it implies that society approves of the physical violation of children, it establishes an unhealthy norm.