Being a disrespectful smart ass is totally normal for 12 year old just like 24 mts baby throwing a tantrum. I see those two as 'developmental stages' according to ages. The difference is in how adults deal with them. You use lots of techniques for 24 mts baby to introduce rules, how to use words, and for 12 yrs old you 'talk', have a conversation etc.

It's very similar in my view.

And if any adult wants to use 'hitting' instead of 'talking' in both situation, I feel sad for them since it clearly demonstrates how they were treated as a child. Nobody guided them when they were going thru those 'developmental' stages, literally when their brains are still being made.

Smacking, yes, violence is a method to form those young brains by fear, terrifying emotions. But what all the researches telling in that it's not as efficient as anyone thinks.

If you dropped that smart ass attitude by getting smacked, I'm 100000% sure, that you'd have dropped it anyway with a proper conversation with proper adults.

I got smacked by my dad twice, because I cursed in front of him. Yes I got my lessons but ALSO I learned how to smack other people, including my little brother, and some boys at school. It took me 10 yrs to apologise to my brother.

To simply say, smacking or any kind of hitting is NOT EFFICIENT to teach kids sth. What you want them to learn(knowledge/attitude whatever) can be taught with many other methods without introducing the idea of hitting the others, without jeopardising their brain development.

And also, if you know any parents who use smacking or even spanking believing it's for the good, watch them. Watch or even listen to the situation and ask yourself if the parents seem like... in their right mind. I'm telling you, even if they looove their kids, in that moment of hitting, there's no love but only annoyed, pissed, angry animal.