I have a son, who I love very much. I want to raise him in n environment full of love and support and not fear. We don't yell, we try to talk to him and explain things to him in a way he can understand.

That being said, there are times when he tries to do things that are seriously dangerous. He is extremely stubborn, and when I tried to explain to him that something could hurt him, he would laugh at me and think it was fun to get a reaction from me. He once kept trying to move a chair to the front of the coffee pot and grab the coffee pot full of hot coffee. Myself and all of my siblings have scars from burns from coffee or boiling water, and I don't want my son to ever experience that. So, I told him over and over that he would get hurt, it's hot and he would laugh and keep trying to do it. I gave him a spank on the butt and told him that if he touches the coffee pot he will get hurt. He took me seriously and I think it was better than risking him trying to touch it again. Now, after that one spank, if I tell him something is hot and could hurt him, he doesn't touch it.

Was that abuse? What was I supposed to do? Talking to him didn't work, I couldn't just not ever have anything hot in my house. He doesn't fear me, because I'm not threatening him or beating him, I express my love and comfort him everyday. I am sincere, I want to know what would be a better solution in that situation. I just want to protect my son and be the best mom I can be.