Punishment is a very common practice. Parents use it because it often works in the short term, but it has many disadvantages:

• Hitting does not teach your children any alternatives to the undesired behavior.
• Punishment affects your children's feelings of self worth.
• Punishment requires an authority figure to be present.
• Some forms of punishment are prohibited by the Minimum Licensing Requirements.

Discipline can be more effective than punishment because:

• It teaches different, more appropriate behavior.
• Discipline deals with the issue without attacking children personally. It does not judge, blame or tear down your children's esteem or self-worth.
• Discipline teaches your children how to learn to live cooperatively with others.
• Discipline teaches your children to develop problem-solving skills to positively cope with the demands of adult life.

Discipline works best when you understand the need behind your children's misbehavior. Figure out the need (reflective listening works well for this) and focus on that instead of the misbehavior

Here are some effective methods of discipline you can use:

Rules
Exploring Alternatives
Natural and Logical Consequences
Modifying the Environment