I never actually grounded my kids when they were younger. They are now 16 and 18. I probably spanked my kids once or twice, each, between the ages of 3 and 5 and it was no more than a couple of taps on the buttock.
As a parent, you have to be the person you want your kids to be in every aspect. When I was a kid, most parents held the mindset, "do as I say, not as I do." That philosophy will not work today. I have a son so I've always realized that I have to be the type of man I want him to be one day where morals are concerned. I have a daughter so I have to be the type of man I would want her to gravitate towards one day; respectful toward women, best provider he can be, etc.
I have always resorted to the lecture. There's been times when I'm almost certain that my kids wanted a whipping rather than hear one of my lectures. But, since I've never been into that type of discipline, they would get the lectures.
Today, we get along fantastic. My son graduated HS this past May, never got in trouble in school, his teachers always had good things to say about him from 1st grade to 12th grade. My daughter is in 11th grade, same thing. I don't say this to boast, it's more of a blessing than anything else. I would just talk to my kids (still do from time to time) about the fact that we are a team and we must work together. Being a single parent for all these years I would basically tell my kids, "I can't do this by myself, you guys have to help me, and the best way you can assist is by doing what you know is right." And they've both done that up to this point.
A lot of parents, in my humble opinion, place too many restrictions on their kids from the outset. Such as, dragging them to church all the time when (1) they don't understand what is going on, or why they are actually there, and (2) what the guy in the pulpit is talking about makes very little sense to them ..
I do realize I'm stepping on a few toes here, but let's be real, most kids don't understand, they are simply FORCED to act as if they understand based on some type of eternal damnation. I'm sorry, but I believe this is one of the primary reasons why parents have problems with their kids. When the rebellion comes, it's not necessarily going to manifest itself in and around church activities, but it will certainly rear its ugly head in other situations; such as school, getting along with peers, and being FOLLOWERS instead of LEADERS. Especially since the majority of most religious instruction is about being a GOOD and FAITHFUL FOLLOWER.
Children are smarter, much wiser than we were growing up, and much of their knowledge has to do with the fact that we are living in the information age. Therefore, telling most kids (unless they are brainwashed at an early age) some of these Biblical stories is as real to them as the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy.