TuscMoms.com

Here is an article about spanking. And I agree. It is definitely a touchy issue. I've gotten into conversations with other parents about it and I've heard all the same things pointed out in this article.
Jack is only 15 months old. And we've never spanked him. Many of our parents and grandparents did it. I know parents of our generation who still do it. And that's their business. We have decided not to spank. Some parents tell me, "Wait until you are pushed to your limits." Well, I would like to think I'll still be in control of my temper and stick to my guns.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/116788/page/1

No spanking!
It doesn't work, and it's wrong.
It makes kids more violent and sets the wrong example, for one thing. And the only thing it actually teaches kids is to avoid being caught! It also makes kids MORE rebellious and angry, in my opinion. And I'm no parenting newbie - I've got a teenager who doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs or get in trouble, after all. And I NEVER spanked him.
Spanking teaches kids that violence is effective, and it makes them behave only because they are afraid of getting caught and getting spanked. I'd rather my child do good things because he wants to earn my respect.

Interesting...and not surprising. We do not spank, and although I wish I could say we never ever have, there have been a few occasions where one of us has delivered a swat on the behind to diffuse a situation. Even that I have regretted. Here in the Deep South, plenty of people think that spanking with a belt or a switch or something of the like is just fine. Alabama allows corporal punishment in the schools, and whether or not it's used is a system-by-system decision. Last I knew, Tuscaloosa County still used corporal punishment, but if I recall an article on it a few years back, they've said they only used it on boys (as if that makes it better). Anybody know fit he policy has changed? Tuscaloosa City Schools did away with it long ago.

Yes, I can't honestly say that I have never spanked my kids, either.
What I think I meant to say is that I have never believed in spanking.
I, too, have "swatted" my little one once or twice, and I'm sure I did the same to my eldest a couple of times. But - like you - I felt very guilty afterward. And, honestly, the only times I have resorted to even a "swatting" were times when I was in a panic. Like a few months ago, when my little one didn't want to leave the park and ran away from me - right into the road (well, the "road" inside Snow Hinton ...)! As you can imagine, I totally freaked out. And when I caught him and yanked him back onto the grass, I totally swatted his behind. And it certainly got his attention ...
But I still don't believe in spanking and will always try to avoid it. I am supposed to be the adult, after all!