Abuse vs. Discipline

In the book we read this week, Great Expectations, Pip is a very disciplined child. While his sister was harsh and could have been more nurturing, I think his situation was far from abuse. This is an issue that affects parents still today. At what point does physical discipline become abuse? In my opinion that is simple. When the parent no longer has an intent of discipline but of anger or even pleasure, it is abuse. Swatting a child on the hand or spanking your child is not abuse. More and more parents are being punished for using this technique, but it has been proven that it does not negatively affect a child's growth physically or emotionally. I think as long as the intentions are correct, parents should have free reign on how they would like to discipline their children. In my opinion, a small swat or spank can be just what a child needs to understand the seriousness of their misbehavior.