Our two year old is pushing the boundries increasingly so I've taken to smacking him as a last resort. I tell him to do something in my stern tone of voice which sometimes works. Then if that doesn't work I count to three. If that doesn't work he gets smacks. Now he knows dad is serious when he counts (He used to just laugh at me before I showed him there were consequences to a lack of respect.) and generally listens.

Now the fear of smacking usually works since he knows I'm serious.

I really do not believe in spanking so I often apply the "face the wall" approach or confiscating toys, gadgets or allowances whenever they do something against the house rules. Spanking will make your child believe that it’s okay to hit other people when they’re mad, which is definitely wrong. When my kids whine or complain, I usually just ignore them and respond that I won't give in unless they say it in a nice way. But when you do this, make sure you stick to that rule. Consistency may be difficult but it's a very effective discipline technique. When your kids know that they can't change your decision about breaking the rules then they won't argue with you about it. Lastly, I explain whenever they get punished so that they will know what they did wrong and hopefully will not do it again. Overall, criticizing the behavior is more appropriate than criticizing the child. Since doing the latter might only affect their self-esteem.