No, it's not.

I may be liberal but I completely support corporate punishment for children. It's such a revolutionary idea. I just put the little carpet surfer in an Italian suit and make him play golf in his pretend office all day, with only a two hour lunch. It doesn't seem to be working though...

I find it funny that she is bitching about misspelled rants, and uses wrong words. :) I'm all for a swat, but there are limits (full-on beating, etc.). You should definitely make sure it is YOUR child though. lol. That being said, OP: You are stupid. Not only did you swat your four year old for wanting to play, but you got the wrong child. Why? Because he had the same coat as your child. Unless he's a practical twin, you are a shitty mother. :)

omg.. this 'he only wanted to play' bs is not an excuse.. he refused to stop playing after he was told it was time to leave (this is if it was her own son, and ignoring the fact that he squirmed because some stranger was holding onto him). Defying your parents 'because you feel like doing something else' is what will make you gro up a self-obsessed, un-empathetic asshole with no regard for authority or anyone elses feelings. It starts young. If you give into your kids everytime they feel like doing something else, good luck

Actually, nerdface, while yes, it could be seen as bad behavior, it's not one to be swatted for. And thanks for the sweeping generalization. :) Not all kids who aren't spanked for everything turn out like that. I know children who weren't spanked who grew up the exact opposite because their parents knew what WORKED. If spanking didn't work, they would explain to them what they did wrong, what would happen if they did it again. And guess what? They didn't. :)