Corporal punishment for misbehaving children continues to lose favor in parenting circles for a number of reasons, chief among them being that it doesn’t work that well – and may do more harm than good.One big problem with spanking and other forms of physical punishment is that there is often a fine line between punishment and abuse – and many parents inadvertently cross it during a corporal punishment discipline event for any number of reasons.So how do you effectively discipline your child if you take corporal punishment off the table? Well, a recent book by child psychologist and parenting expert Kerby T. Alvy, Ph.D., offers some excellent alternative to hitting your children when they misbehave.Number is “prevention,” says Alvy, founder and director of the Center for Child Caring (CICC), a nonprofit organization devoted to effective parenting. “Probably the most effective alternative to hitting a child is prevention. By creating a "child proof" environment, where things are out of reach, children are less likely to get into trouble.”Next on the list is to “show disappointment,” he says. “Let the child know that you are disappointed in his or her behavior… and explain the consequences if the inappropriate behavior continues.”Alvy also suggests that taking away privileges, giving timeouts, and making a contract with your kids (the latter with older children) are also effective ways to modify behavior with using corporal punishment. He also says it’s important to “be empathetic, to show in words and actions that you understand the difficulties your child is facing.”Which leads to perhaps one of the most important techniques of all” catch them being good.“Whenever a child does something good,” Alvy says, “helping set the table, brushing their teeth without asking, speaking politely be sure to react with praise and other forms of acceptance of those behaviors.  The more parents respond positively, the less likely children are to misbehave" and the less of a need for corporal punishment.