Bomb, I just saw your post.
Of course I discipline my child. And I teach him right from wrong. I let him experiment with his boundaries in safe situations to see if he can handle it. Then we continue on to more complex situations and see if he listens. My son has no problem running into the street at 2.5. He also understands when we get to busy streets he has to hold my hand. And that crossing the street he must hold hands.
People equate not hitting your child with not disciplining your child which is patently false. I discipline, I just don’t hit.
You need to teach your children responsibility within their means. As a parent you need to help them grow. If they aren’t ready for certain tasks, why would you force them into those situations and then hit them for it?
If a child is misbehaving, its more important to look at WHY they are misbehaving and what triggered it. You can usually figure out a reason (tired/hungry/testing limits) and act accordingly.
Please give me an example of a time you need to hit where other methods of discipline wouldn’t work.