Of course, there are exceptions, and some even make the headlines in ways most of us would rather not see, but overwhelmingly I think that’s true. And yet the idea of “dad’s belt” was pretty common in the old days, and that could be just as traumatic as a caning. But would we say that dad didn’t love his kids?

Maybe the USA approach, actively involving the parents in a kind of monitoring role, might do something to deal with your worries.