It works, and it works damn well. Ill admit, I was spanked as a child, hell my dad had a small piece of timber(like 2 ft long, inch wide, 1/2 inch thick) that hed use to get at us in our old van. He did it right up until we were old enough to know better. Do I use violence to solve problems? No. In fact I have a very good grasp on my temper, and it takes a fair bit to get me heated to the point of violence.
Now, as for the time out/grounding thing, my next door neighbors kid are a perfect example of how it doesnt work. 5 and 7 years old, the 5 year old boy gets away with everything, hell the kid through dog crap into our pool, and he got sent inside, 5 minutes later he came back out, his mom yelled, and he ignored her. The 7 year old girl gets sent to her room all the time. Get this, she has a TV, DVD/VCR, Laptop with internet, stereo and a phone, plus all her toys and whatnot. How is it a punishment to be restricted to this? Those two kids continually run around and trash our property.
Spanking teaches that theres a consequence to your actions, sent to a room full of toys and goodies does not. Taking away privledges only work if your adamant about it, and becomes ineffective the second the child finds away around it.
Point is Fallen, you are very young, and whiles its easy to sit back and condem people for physically hurting their child, you never experienced it, I knew I did wrong, I knew what was coming to me for doing, I feared my fathers wrath, but I still love him greatly, and I miss him everyday that hes gone. It didnt distance me from my father, if anything it formed a stronger bond, one I cant really explain.