I completely agree with Loverboy. I do not think that corporal/physical punishment (spanking, switching, etc.) is an effective way of parenting in regards to disciplining. I was spanked because I misbehaved a lot but I don't think it was effective. When you hit a kid, they learn not to do whatever they were doing because they don't want to be hit again, not because they understand what they did was wrong. It's definitely difficult to reason with a child but I do think it's possible with dedication. I think we can all agree that it's definitely not okay to beat the shit out of your kid and that most people are okay somewhat with non-abusive spanking... I just won't ever do it myself and I won't tolerate anyone ever putting their hands on my children.

I do think AP went a little overboard because, honestly, he's just not an intelligent person. He didn't know he was hurting his kid and did too much on accident. I think he's someone who has good intentions but lacks the mental ability to reason things through. That would explain why he has so many kids (he doesn't even know how many) and why he doesn't keep track of many of them in the slightest.