Spare the rod, spoil the professor Society may not be worth saving. Not that this is any surprise, if you’ve followed the news lately. Things have been going south on a greased pole for some time, and it’s your fault, if you spanked your kids when they were kids. According to a new study. Spanking (or whupping, as it was called when I was a young ‘un) used to be an acceptable way for parents to punish disobedient children, and correct their behavior.