There's a tear in our society's fabric around parenting. Too many parents silently wish their kids didn't have phones, or play Roblox, or use Instagram, or ... the list goes on.

These same parents wish they were empowered to make their wishes come true. But they don't feel empowered.

A quick anecdote. We have a 5yo son whom we've decided to be withhold screens from for as long as humanly possible. This decision comes from lived experience with our other kids who are 8 and years older and not from having read a book or listening to podcasts. We've lived the nightmare once and hope to avoid it this time around.

Anyways, my son was at a playdate with a classmate of his which was supposed to be swimming outside. It wasn't long before his classmate kept asking his mom to go inside. Turns out, that classmate has some game console with Minecraft in the basement. Our son asked my wife if he could play play but sadly obliged to just watch. Now at home he says how badly he wants to play Minecraft.

What does this have to do with corporal punishment? I think video games and social media cause kids to be more self centered than if they spent the same time with other humans. And this leads to all sorts of behavioral challenges that parents feel ill equipped to handle.

I'm not saying corporal punishment is the answer. But neither is gentle parenting. I think many parents are looking for something that works.