Fathers or Dads

They say anyone can be a dad but takes someone special to be a father? And can anyone be a mum or does it take someone special to be a mother. Do you think things have changed over the decades.? Would you talk to your parents the way you see some children speak to there's in this generation. I remember telling my dad to f#*k off once he hit me so hard across the legs I never did again. What about the craze off goodie goodie parents is it wrong or right to hit your children in private or public. Do parents still have as much patience as they did centuries ago? What's the limits of being a parent. I'm not saying the naughty chair doesn't work I've seen it work but have we changed the ways in which we discipline our children for the better or for the worse. Should we bring the cane back into schools and send our children off to the army once they leave school? Would that bring gangs and ASBO's to an end or have we destroyed our children over the years by cutting back on discipline. I'm not a parent myself so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about but the majority of my friends do. Do you think having a child too early in life is a good thing or having one later in life better? Is there  a better connection with children being closer to the age of there parents or is a larger Better? Is this where we've being going wrong or right?