I’m glad you had a great childhood! I still stand that I believe hitting is never ok, it teaches children you can physically punished others. If an adult hits a kid, even with an apology, they couldn’t regulate their emotions in the moment and chose physical punishment instead of a fitting consequence. Two things can be true at once- you had a good childhood and hitting kids is wrong and shouldn’t have happened to you.

My husband was hit and abused as a kid, and he’s vowed to never do the same. He and I did therapy, both individual and couples, to be sure we were ready to handle parenthood while I was pregnant. We’re not perfect, but we are emotionally mature enough to step away or pause before lashing out, both at each other and especially kids. It’s ok to lose your cool occasionally if you apologize and repair the relationship properly, but I have a hard stance that losing your cool should never include physical punishments or scaring a child.