Spanking Doesn't Work (for the most part)

Before I had kids, my philosophy was that I would not 'spare the rod' for fear of 'spoiling the child.' Then the kids came, and my wife started watching Nanny 911. It seems that Nanny 911 feels that the only people who spank their children are overly aggressive miscreants. However, the real question was, how would I react when the first meltdown came?

The first real tantrum came, followed by spanking, crying (not my own), and a sense of relief. Spanking had worked! Ah, the peace and quiet was glorious… then the next meltdown occurred. The spanking seemed slightly less effective. Unfortunately this trend continued, and very soon I began to think my child liked getting pummeled (not literally of course, I don't want the authorities knocking on my door). This couldn't continue, not only was spanking not curbing bad behavior, but it was making my arm tired (see above note).

Then the naughty chair came into play. It was very difficult breaking her will and getting her to stay in the naughty chair. Multiple nights required multiple hours to produce the desired effect, which was a child who would stay put, and acknowledge what she had done wrong. Much to my chagrin, the naughty chair had much the same result. Before I knew it, she was jumping off the chair and running amok.

So what to do? Nothing seemed to work. Luckily the combo platter seemed to do the trick. When the naughty chair and spanking were both in play, the results were much better. For minor offenses like not getting pajamas on in a timely manner, and not picking up toys, the naughty chair was just fine. Then, much like a second level help desk, if the rules of the naughty chair weren't being effective, justice would be swift, in the form of a spanking.

This approach works for my daughter, but I know all children are different. What works for your kids?