My dad used a belt on me every once in a while. Then when I was 8 years old, when a female teacher asked me to erase the blackboard and I didn't really want to, all of a sudden i decided to try out the "B word" on her. I had never ever used that word before and was trying it out, just being a little troublemaker at that instant but did not, everyday, have an issue with this particular teacher. ( Just imagine an 8yo saying "You ...(1-second pause)...b****", not even really sure if the pronunciation was correct to make it sound authoritative).

Anyways, as soon as the "-itch"-ending had finished leaving my mouth, her hand had slapped my face and i was headed to the school's Principal's office where, an hour or so later, my dad picked me up and took me to his workplace for the rest of the day.

It is hard to overestimate the kind of belt whipping I was going to get. The fact that my dad had to leave work to come get me just put dread into me. My dad had been silent when he took me from school and was silent to me generally throughout the day; at my dad's workplace I was stuck in a room with no windows, nothing to do but maybe read a schoolbook and do some math exercises, etc. Dad drove he and I home (silently), and we all as a family had dinner, and I was sweating it out. What was going to happen to me? I was going to be as sorry as anyone ever had been, after the hiding that was to come. And then........not a word about the incident and he didn't get out the belt. I could not believe it. But just the fear of what was going to happen, and remembering the surprising speed of the teacher's hand to slap me .......kept from ever doing something like that again.

I dunno if this above tale was helpful at all; maybe this story is only relevant to me. But i guess my advice is that i think sometimes the fear of a whipping can be enough to get the point across. Would I ever use that strategy of "sequestration, silence, and waiting for a whipping" with a child? Yeah, maybe; depends on how bad the behaviour of the child was.