So we all know that spanking kids is wrong and there are better ways to handle a situation than get physical with a child. However in this case, I’m talking about kids who hit. I think when you look up the word embarrassing in the dictionary; its definition is ‘when your toddler smacks you right across the face in public’. Most parents understand that very young children can’t communicate with words, when the screaming doesn’t work they resort to other ways to get their point across. Forget the temper tantrums and the piercing screams, when it gets to hitting – it is a different story.While you may expect this behaviour from your toddler, the question is, how much of it should you tolerate and what can you do to stop it?According to www.momscape.com , the first time a child hits you, hold their hands so they can’t hit again. Be sure to explain (in a firm voice) that hitting isn’t nice and reinforce that you love them but you don’t like it when they hit you or anyone else for that matter.The first step to making sure your little one doesn’t become the next menace to society is to make sure you are a good role model. The topic of spanking is volatile, to say the least. So if that is the way you discipline your child, they might think its okay to hit."My four year old niece Dani won’t hesitate to smack you when she wants something and you are keeping her from having it,” said hair stylist Lucy Uwimana. "I just tell her I’m not happy with her then ignore her for sometime. She eventually comes around with this look that says she sorry.”Experts from the same website say that it is important to explain to the child that hitting is wrong. It’s okay to get angry, it’s just not okay to hit. Explain to them that anger can make them hit harder than they wanted to and that it could leave someone hurt.Help them find easy words that can help put the point across without actually hitting anyone. "Not happy” - like my own niece says, "Me mad”, or even "Don’t want” are all better options. Even though they can only use one or two words at a time, help them realize that using words instead of hitting will help you find a solution to their problem easier.If talking to them doesn’t seem to help, you can always stick to the good old fashioned go-  away - and -think - about - what - you - have - done scheme. Tell them you will not accept being hit and that there are consequences to their actions. Try to get the point across as seriously as you can but without sounding like a General! Insist that they can only join civilization when they are ready to apologize for their actions and behave.