I believe that saying potching teaches a kid to hit is total baloney. It is like saying fining somebody teaches them to steal money, or putting them in jail teaches them to kidnap.
I always argue with my wife about the merits of potching. She is opposed, and has a library of the new age books, many of them frum ones, about raising children with love, etc.
So when my kids get out of control, she comes running and asks me to do something. I tease her, why don’t you take out your library of books and look up what to do and how to handle this?
The bottom line (pardon the pun) is that these books are truly wonderful. The only minor problem is that they don’t work. The old fashioned way of teaching kids that you better behave right now or else, is the tried and true method.
In addition, there is nothing that annoys people more than a parent who doesn’t seem to discipline their kids when they are running wild and bothering others. If one is a guest in a home, and his kids get out of control, if the host doesn’t see the parent immediately taking control, the chance of being invited back is very slim. Even if the kid throws a tantrum, as long as the parents are firm with him, the host usually understands. However, when parents seem to be ignoring or wimping out or spoiling their child, it probably is the number one most annoying thing to others who happen to be around.