Slap on the Hand

Despite joking about the benefits of using the old-fashioned forms of discipline, the reality is that I don't agree with spanking or anything like that. My daughter pushed the baby's face into the water at bath time today, and I slapped my daughter's hand. I told her that I wasn't angry, and that I wasn't sure whether I did the right thing, but I wanted her to remember that that is never okay. I still feel horrible. One the one hand, it is like the wise mother who said that the only time she would spank a child is when the child ran out into the street, not because it makes a parent angry but because it makes a parent scared and the child needs to know that it is uncommonly serious. On the other hand, we tell our kids not to hit, but it doesn't matter if they see us hit. Are they too young to understand the difference? I'll let you know if I ever figure this out. All I know is that I feel worse than if I'd received a slap on the hand.