Beating the Child
Question :

Is it permissible for a man to beat his children?

Answer :

It is not permissible for the father to beat his child, except for the sake of discipline and correction. This must be limited to the need to achieve this purpose. It must be applied gradually with reasoning and should not exceed the need for the sake of revenge and retaliation or due to belittling the child because of his weakness. One must be careful to discern between the welfare of the child and his own emotions such as anger or frustration. The narrations of the Imams (peace be upon them) report that it is permissible to beat the child five or six hits, while emphasizing on leniency. One should not exceed this number unnecessarily.
It is not permissible for the father to beat his son or daughter after they reached the religiously recognized age of adulthood. He must limit his means of discipline by advice and suggestion.

Phase of Rebellion
Question :

My son has reached the age of religious adulthood (bulogh), and I have tried my best to explain the importance of the prayer and other obligations, but he still does not pray. How can I convince him to pray? Should I apply physical punishment? What is your advice?

Answer :

Do not give up, and do not lost any hope in guiding him. Try to correct him by, maybe, getting more close to him and giving him more attention, so he might trust in you more and have more confidence in you and in your fatherhood, or by making friends with families who are religious, so they can also be a positive influence on him. If you continue in this manner then in time he will respond to you positively.
It is natural in for a child in this age to pass through a phase of rebellion, especially in these times and circumstances in which there is a lot of emphasis on personal freedom.