I am sorry that happened to you Lee. It was wrong.
This country needs to enact a law making it unlawful to assault/spank a child, it is one of the same.
He said on the tape, " I will beat you into submission." Any parent who hits their kid that is exactly, their objective, whether, they realize it or not. And, that is wrong on so many levels, and being beaten into submission taught nothing useful; quite, the opposite.
That form of getting what you want from others, hitting, assaulting physically or verbally is passed from one generation to another. THAT, becomes what is called, a " learned trait." And, it takes work, to break it.
Their are some people who never learned to hear what another is saying, to talk, to communicate, to understand... to listen. They acquired the learned trait that a rap in the mouth, a crack across a backside, a punch is the way to handle someone, anyone, a wife, their kid, who has the nerve to disagree with them. They do not see, disagreeing, and making decisions are part of a learning process, a part of growing up, and, they got to be mature enough as a parent to handle it. Some are not. How easy to strike out and hit, they see it as a cure, as a they will know I mean business. What they fail to understand, is the child in them, is doing the hitting, usually, hitting back from their own childhood.
People who usually, assault/spank, it was done to them. It is a learned trait. And, sadly, the prisons are filled with them.
I commend those who break the cycle.
Ask yourself this, for anyone who sees, spanking, as an innocent thing, as something you are able to dispense out fairly and rationing; do, you stop, when the child says to? or starts to cry out? Or... is it, just one more, so he/she gets the point>>>
When you spank, your mind is rationalizing it, by saying, I love him enough I want him to grow up right.... what the parent is clearly, doing is finding a quick way and easy way to make the child do what he wants, to be the way he wants.
There is no easy, quick fix for being a good parent. It takes work, it takes time, patience, acceptance and a whole lot of love. Hitting him does nothing but hinder the parent/child process. It takes away that bond and trust, and leaves the child feeling empty, worthless and stupid.