my mom smacked me a few times until i became old enough to hit back.
They weren't home a lot though. i know that sounds like a "woah is me" thing, but from the time I was 9 I was alone for most of the time. They either didn't come home, or came home after I was asleep and was still sleeping when I left for school. they went away on the weekends a lot.
So i didn't really get in trouble cause I didn't know where they were.
sorry to hear you had such absentee parenting