Yeah well that is where you are wrong. I beat my kids. Haha... But I see what you are saying. A lot of that has to do with DYFS. If you spank your kids and even leave a red mark, they come after you. It's a joke.
Just to throw in a legal fact: Having worked on custody cases in NJ, NY & PA, an agency may investigate a claim of abuse, but 4 out of 5 that I've been involved with come back unfounded, because the parent simply was disciplining. And once they close their investigation, it's closed and they shouldn't give a parent more trouble. So smack the kids!