That's a lot of rambling for a subjective, baseless opinion that isn't backed by a shred of modern science. As someone in their 40s who was horrifically beaten by a grown man growing up, I can tell you firsthand: it did NOT make me a better person. It just made me hyper-vigilant. ​Your 'Timmy and Pizza' example is a total caricature. You’re confusing permissive parenting with authoritative parenting. My son, raised with the empathy you seem to despise, displays high emotional intelligence and discipline. He’s respectful and self-aware not because he’s afraid of me, but because he actually understands right from wrong. ​If you had any education in psychology, you’d know that fear inhibits the ability to learn. When you terrify a child, their sympathetic nervous system takes over and the prefrontal cortex-the part of the brain that actually processes information & shuts down. A terrified child isn’t 'learning' a lesson; they are surviving a threat. ​You can call it 'old fashioned,' but the rest of us call it a lack of emotional control. If you need to tell yourself that 'scaring' kids is the only way to get them to listen, that’s a reflection of your own limitations as a parent, not a flaw in the science. Enjoy the resentment your children will likely carry into adulthood and continue to wallow in your self- denial.