After a thread I posted on Sunday "Should smacking children be banned" got such a response, I read through all the comments and it got me thinking.
Could sitting a child on a naughty chair be seen as mental cruelty as if they move I believe you put them back for the period of time you have come up with.
Could this not last all day, child getting up you putting them back etc?
I was thinking myself if this was the case I would feel this could be seen as mental cruelty!!
Mental cruelty is worse in my view as there is no physical evidence.
Mental Cruelty....absolutley not!!
hands up who was made to stand in the corner when they were naughty...if you don't like smacking then this is just punishment...if kids don't learn between right and wrong one way or they other how will you ever get it through to them without some kind of punishment.
Here's my question.....
what sanctions/ punishments should be used?
Ive never used a naughty step
No 1 reason being having a hyperactive son its more hassle than its worth he would be up and down every second
No2 when he has been naughty and a ticking off wont do it he gets sent to his bedroom for chill out time
this works good fro him but every child is different
I have been lucky with our children I think. Usually "the look" or a bluddy good shout does the trick. I like the naughty step idea, better than beating the living daylights out of them in my opinion.
Love
Fire xxx
My second wife was a big naughty step advocate.
It was a bit of a surprise, I already had two kids about 7 and 5 when we met.
I spose Im lucky but I had never needed options for correcting "naughtiness". Until i met that wife Im not sure I even had an insight into what naughtiness was.
Before her my kids were just people who hadnt grasped all the rules yet and I just talked to them. Its what I continue to do.
I think our radically different approach to parenting meant our relationship was doomed from the start.
It was quite hard having two kids around that were happy to discuss their behaviours and how they could modify them and two kids who had naughty steps, withdrawal of priviliges and the occasional paddling with a spoon hand or slipper. (No paddling by me I confess)
This thread has made me ponder over whetehr I've been lucky and my kids didnt need much discipline or whether because Ive always talked to my kids they learnt how to behave.
I dont think I am lucky. I think a healthy dialogue with your kids breeds a healthy relationship that you get to reap the rewards from.
Smacking em from the minute they can explore the world (the stuff on the other thread about a qucik smack of the legs still makes me cringe) then progressing through various other forms of punishment seems to me to be an exercise that will ultimately cause the child and the parent hurt.
Last time i went round to see the step kids they had lists of rules that couldnt be broken and the resulting punishments on every wall. My kids who now live with me have no rules other than treating themselves and others with respect and dignity and being honest. The likely outcomes of failing in this regard are a discussion.
Well tahst my ten pence worth, it works for me.
I realsie I sound like a bleeding heart liberal namby pamby airy fairy wishy washy........
But Im not. Im a typical bad tempered irritable old git.
'Time out' I think it's called, step, chair, stairs it's all about giving the child time to calm down and think register what they've done is wrong. Beats smacking hands down I think.
I know she's older, but my daughter always benefits from being told to take ten mins out and go calm down. I'm very similar, if I'm mad I calm down much better being left on my own.
I guess it's the same with toddlers
No jay a time out is very different from a naughty step.
Just as "go to your room you shit" is very differnt from "hey son lets both take a little time out and talk about this when we have both clamed down".
I suspect an awful lot of these practises evolve in the class room and the nursery where limited numbers of people have to control hordes of kids. (I salute any eductaors out tehr cos I couldnt do that)
We learn an awful lot from our experiences in these environments. Its perfectly natural that we adopt them in managing our own children. Its also wrong in my opinion.
Thnaks for that Jay.
I had no idea time out was used to describe this kind of thing. I dont like it at all.
You live and learn.
And yes I admit I have the odd shouty and the odd rant too. More often than not its teh kids suggest i take some time to calm down lol.
I've only ever asked her to take herself off and calm down and think about what she's just said/done and come back when she's calmer and ready to talk to me.
It sounds like time out is used more to calm the child down.
Let me throw this into the dedate then...When your child comes up against someone in the playground or in life in general thats shows anger, do they ask that person to sit on a naughty chair or take time out and discuss the issue when they have calmed down?
Is anger just another emotion that we all have within ourselves, just need to know how to control it?
Is it not ok to be angry?
In my opinion I do not think it is mental abuse and on the other hand I do not think smacking a child is physical abuse.
If the child is not unnecessarily harmed then it is not abuse.
Dave_Notts