Way overboad, and I got the belt quite a few times myself!!!!
1) was playing in a trench for waterlines, the kinds that are known to cave in, dad work for the gas company, I got 3 lashes.
2) stealing money out of mom's purse to go play video games at the arcade. $1-2 was fine but I took a $5 once. 10-12 lashes on a bare ass, I pissed myself. Consider Dad grew up very poor, stealing was the worst thing I could do.
However, two days later I did start getting an allowance.
The Paddle.
Mom was a school teacher, she knew how to use her Teacher's Pet. Nothing worse that getting wacked with a paddle from your mom.
I ONLY ever spanked my son once, and it was on Xmas day. He was about 1.5 or 2.5 years old and shit himself from one swat of the hand. He'd seen the wound he'd caused on my big toe when he tripped me. I cut a 1/8" off the bottom of my big toe on a register vent. He was still in diapers so he had some padding. I didn't feel the toe until I went to the bathroom and raw flesh hit the cold tile floor.
Needless to say after that, he never acted up to me.