Can I beat my child in public with out getting in trouble???

I took Mason to the store with me again last night and it was not good. I tell myself every time I will not do that again. But then I find myself in the store once again thinking the same thing.

We were down to two half rolls of toilet paper and we have been using tissues for two days in the half bath so we were in need of some toilet paper. Plus Mason also tried to be nice and and scrub my toilet for Mother's Day. He was using my last Clorox refill and I didn't want to waste it so I found my self cleaning up the mess and scrubbing the rest of the toilet on Mother's Day. My day off!!! It was a nice thought! (not that he did it for that reason) I guess I've trained him well.....So I needed to pick up more of those refills as well as the toilet paper and I was out of shampoo. So instead of waiting for Robbie to get home and then venture out to Wally World, I thought I would just stop on my way home. I thought, he couldn't be that bad in just the couple of mins it would take me to grab those 4-5 things?

I was wrong, as soon as we got in the door he started. He was screaming and reaching for me. He did not want in that cart and you would think I had beat him the way he was acting. I put him in there anyways and he screams louder then Mady is grabbing her ears cause she hates when he screams. By this time everyone is staring at me so I get really close to his ear and tell him he better stop or he's getting a spanking. I got him in the cart but he's still screaming. I then searched for an empty aisle so I could beat him ( not really but I felt like it at this point) I found one and gave him a little lecture and a nice little swat on the butt and sternly sat him down. He continued to cry and whine but it wasn't as bad at this point as when he started and he didn't' have his leg hanging halfway out of the cart! I continued on my shopping trip with him still whining but I was just ignoring him. He finally stopped when it was time to leave, until we got to the checkout line then he wanted out of the cart so I bribed him to stay in there with a go tart-pop tart thing I found in the candy section. I figured it was better than a candy bar and it worked.

When will these tantrums stop? Now at home I put him in time out or I put him in his bed and shut the door until he can stop but in public it's a little hard to do that. Not to mention the way people stare at you. It's like they've never seen a kid cry or throw a fit. I don't know if these people have never had kids or just don't remember them acting this way, or maybe my kid is just really bad? I know some of my friends and people I've talked to said their kids went through the same thing. I think it's mainly parents of boys but I know some girls that are just as bad. It just really gets me the way people look at you. Now I would never hurt my children but I do think a good spanking every once in a while will not hurt if they really need it. However you can't do it in public or you get turned in for child abuse. That is what's wrong with kids these days their parents didn't discipline them enough as children. I don't remember getting spankings as a kid but my parents disciplined me enough that I knew right from wrong. I just think kids are so out of control it's crazy!

I really do think that this is just his age and right now he is at the stage that he wants to be in control so I'm sure it will pass. I just have to pick my battles with him and try to steer him down the right direction and I'm sure it will be just fine. Until then I will just have to put up with the idiots that give you the look of I can't believe she is letting him get away with that.