I had two kids prone to tantrums. I could never get them to sit in time-outs. I was totally against spanking at the time. I had been spanked as a child, but never beaten and never hit with a belt. Anyway, at my wits end with the tantrums, sadly I would end up yelling. In the end, I did end up spanking...not much, and it was the only thing that would break them out of their tantrum once started. I figured the yelling wasn't any better than spanking. I'm totally against violence, and wish I could've figured out a way to end the tantrum without it. But I don't believe I belong in jail for it. And believe me, I read EVERY parenting book. The spanking was a very short phase in their life and probably happened less than 5 times. I'm not traumatized, nor do they appear to be.