i would hold a pillow over their head until they went limp
This made me lol.
Anyways, when I was younger I was repeatedly beaten for my failures. For example, being that I had asian parents, I was forcibly made to learn my timestables before school, and every time I got one wrong ( I'm not the best at maths) I would be smote by that fucking flyswat. I was even thrown out of the house onto the road multiple times on various occasions, which seriously traumatised me. But ethically, I don't think anything warrants punishment of that caliber.
Seriously though, I'm overly rude to my mum these days, since she deserves it due to the pain and suffering she inflicted on me in my earlier years. Though this doesn't justify it, I still feel some sort of remorse my impertinence brings about.
I can safely say it has changed me though, I was (and still am) the sort of sensible, prudent kid back then, not running amok breaking/stealing shit, screaming and wailing at the top of my lungs, crying when I didn't get whatever I asked for. All the shit my mum did to me made me the opposite of the quintessential spoiled brat, and can pretty much say all those disciplinary actions have been beneficial.