Alaskan mother Jessica Beagley is facing abuse charges after she was seen punishing her 7-year-old son by making him eat hot sauce and take a cold shower in a homemade video. Betty Nguyen reports.
You have asked for comments: I would never have disciplined my child in this manner. It used to be a bar of soap in the mouth for cursing or lying, perhaps that is better than hot sauce. I also would never administer a cold shower, this is just too alarming. I used to sit, look eye-to-eye & discuss. This works so often. If repeated bad behavior arose, I cannot see how this kind of discipline won't drive distance between parent & child. I would have taken away privileges. When my children would act out, I promised them a time out. I delivered that time out during dinner prep time, when one child got to help me in kitchen (which they loved), while the rest got to watch tv (where I was around the corner listening, 1/2 participating/interacting with their tv viewing). The child who had time to serve on a time out, was given a stool and a corner to face (also very close in proximity to me) while the rest of us did our thing during dinner prep time (I might have 2 stools going at 1 time). If a child acted out again, I doubled their time out time. This is very effective. As toddlers they soon learned how time outs could grow exponentially. Occasionally I would have to stand over a child for 15 minutes enforcing & doubling time to make this all happen. But once you've stood over them, they get the point. I have even carried over time-out time to the next day b/c they could not fulfill it all in one day. Being within earshot of all the fun happenings, and forced to not participate was effective. I also used to take things away. If we had a trip to the store coming up, I would cancel it, and keep my word. Very effective. I think rebellion can stem from physical pain. Delivering pain, or cold showers, was never as effective as making a child think, and choose, thus ‘decide’ to do what's right. I find this video is uncomfortable. Does this constitute child abuse? It could, depending on the results for that child. It probably won't. Taking a snapshot of someone's day, and delivering a verdict is a very poor way for all of us to judge one another, and best left to the experts, CPS, who do it so well.
You have asked for comments: I would never have disciplined my child in this manner. It used to be a bar of soap in the mouth for cursing or lying, perhaps that is better than hot sauce. I also would never administer a cold shower, this is just too alarming. I used to sit, look eye-to-eye & discuss. This works so often. If repeated bad behavior arose, I cannot see how this kind of discipline won't drive distance between parent & child. I would have taken away privileges.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children would act out, I promised them a time out. I delivered that time out during dinner prep time, when one child got to help me in kitchen (which they loved), while the rest got to watch tv (where I was around the corner listening, 1/2 participating/interacting with their tv viewing). The child who had time to serve on a time out, was given a stool and a corner to face (also very close in proximity to me) while the rest of us did our thing during dinner prep time (I might have 2 stools going at 1 time). If a child acted out again, I doubled their time out time. This is very effective. As toddlers they soon learned how time outs could grow exponentially. Occasionally I would have to stand over a child for 15 minutes enforcing & doubling time to make this all happen. But once you've stood over them, they get the point. I have even carried over time-out time to the next day b/c they could not fulfill it all in one day. Being within earshot of all the fun happenings, and forced to not participate was effective.
I also used to take things away. If we had a trip to the store coming up, I would cancel it, and keep my word. Very effective.
I think rebellion can stem from physical pain. Delivering pain, or cold showers, was never as effective as making a child think, and choose, thus ‘decide’ to do what's right.
I find this video is uncomfortable. Does this constitute child abuse? It could, depending on the results for that child. It probably won't. Taking a snapshot of someone's day, and delivering a verdict is a very poor way for all of us to judge one another, and best left to the experts, CPS, who do it so well.