By Dr. Claire McCarthy

Discipline -- it's one of the hardest parts of parenthood. We want to keep our kids safe, and teach them right from wrong. But doing that is often much more difficult than it sounds.

Spanking is what many parents turn to when they want to get their point across. However, spanking and other forms of physical punishment can lead to mental health problems, aggression, and even a lower IQ -- not stuff most parents want for their kids. And, it turns out, it's actually not more effective than other methods.