I have six sons, and I don't know if I'll ever finish "raising" them--if I have much to do with that anyway--but I think every word here is spot on. I tried the spanking, too, and it got me nowhere. It made things worse, if anything. I did it with the first couple, and stopped after that.
One thing I wish I'd done better was let them screw things up. I used to get red-faced if they'd lose my tools, but now I'd gladly pay another fifty bucks or so to replace my screwdrivers as long as they'd keep using them to try making things. When they got mud from head to toe, I wish I'd just taken a picture of it instead of yelling. When they spread flour all over the kitchen, I wish I'd just eaten the rock-hard pancake and congratulated them for trying. Live and learn. I'm doing better with the younger kids.
And having a whale of a lot more fun, too. Great post.
Thanks for the kinds words. I really take comfort in your second paragraph, because sometimes I find myself frustrated with something they've done, and I find myself getting unnecessarily upset over something small. I'm flawed too, and I try hard not to be too hard on them for learning life through experiences, even though they fail hard sometimes, and it affects the rest of the family.
Parenting is the steepest learning curve, and also the most rewarding when you get it right.