approach to childrearing - smacking is one of many forms of discipline a parent may need to use from time to time to get across a point or to "treat" a particular exhibition of behaviour. I believe that each instance of inappropriate behaviour requires a unique and creative approach, one that will bring out the best understanding of the situation from the child. Reason and logic also have their places, as do exclusion, deprivation, withdrawal of privileges and other little schemes which a parent may use from time to time.
   As discussed previously, children have many reasons for displaying what we might call bad behaviour ranging from lack of understanding, natural energetic exuberance, forgetfulness, lack of self discipline, manipulation, or wilful disobedience.
   I consider smacking to be an appropriate antidote only to displays of wilful disobedience of the "unbreakable rules" (whatever you have decreed to be in this category), as well as tantrums of the screaming-stomping-throw-themselves-on-the-floor kind. In the first instance, the disobedience is often of the sneaky variety, done behind your back and discovered later. In the second instance it is overt disobedience. In both instances their behaviour has nothing to do with memory or lack of understanding. They know the rules, they know the reasons, they are choosing to break them. For the child this is a blatant power game. But for the parent it is not generally to do with power but safety, or good health, or whatever criteria by which you have set the rule, so the child's attempt to test their power in this situation is extremely foolish. This foolishness and their testing of your resolve needs to be swiftly checked, not by reasoning but by disempowering, and in fact overpowering such challenges.
   Both covert disobedience and overt disobedi-ence come from an imbalance of energy and consciousness in the 3 lower chakras. When afflicted, Mooladhara expresses itself in animal and primitive ways - hiding the truth, lying for self preservation, the stomping of the legs, the melodramatic fall to the ground. Swadhisthana expresses the desires of "I want to" or "I don't want to", the unconscious realm of "I don't know why I did it, I just did", the crocodile tears of "I'm sorry, now that you've found me out". Manipura expresses the ego and power game of "You can't make me", and that fire-in-the-belly resistance.
   These 3 lower chakras are predominantly of the tamasic variety, of inertia, most frequently exerting a downward pull upon the human spirit. The immature child has no way of consciously

uplifting them. The quickest and easiest way to help move this energy upwards and to bring a higher consciousness to the matter is to increase the levels of energy in those areas by overheating their bare bottom with your bare hand, to drive it upwards through a temporary injection of rajas (dynamism).
   The buttocks have long been the site of effective and safe smacking (and here I mean surface smacking, not bruising corporal punishment with a rod). They can be understood metaphorically as "the seat of ignorance", the storehouse of the lower instincts of stubborn-ness and wanton desire. With its numerous sensitive nerves on the surface, it registers a temporary sting to the nervous system and therefore those same learning centres in the brain. And with its fat and muscle padding it retains the heat for some time without much chance of tissue damage.
   Smacking (or caning) on the hand is a danger-ous method which can damage sensitive nerves and motor skills. Also, the hand is the organ of Anahata, a totally inappropriate location through which to learn self discipline.
   Now this may all seem like an unusual ration-alisation of smacking, but I believe it to be a fair and truly compassionate one. This kind of smack is not one of punishment as many might assume. It is not a smack of righteous indignation at being disobeyed. It is a self controlled smack encompassing energy management and consciousness raising. It must also be done with a strong expression of love and knowledge so that after the storm, the child experiences more energy and the higher centres of consciousness - Anahata, Vishuddhi and Ajna.
   A parent should never smack out of their own frustration or anger. That is the seed of uncontrolled physical punishment and can lead to abuse. Therefore absolute honesty and self awareness is necessary to be a "detached smacker". It is this detachment which delivers the wisdom whilst the hand delivers the energy. An effective smack to the bottom helps make a whole body reminder of their misbehaviour. Habitual smacking though, loses its effectiveness, as can a lame whack through 3 layers of clothes and a nappy.
   Several hours and again days after a smacking, when they know all is forgiven and when they are in a good mood receptive to learning, I always make mention of it to the child again, to remind them of the lesson. I ask them what it was for, what they have learned, and will they remember the lesson in future. This is a way of raising their understanding of the incident to a higher, more intellectual