I will never forget the look on his face. The look of utter betrayal, mixed with anger and confusion. The tears squeezing out from the corners of his eyes. I had just spanked Ethan for the first time. He was the first child I nannied for full-time. His parents spanked, and had encouraged me follow their lead for "consistency." He was just over a year old, and I had already been taking care of him for about half a year. Up to that point, I had been relied primarily on redirection, distraction, and positive reinforcement as my main disciplinary tools. But that day, he just … [Read more...]