Our
View: Punishment for misbehavior justified
When some children receive poor grades, their parents take away privileges. Others
are spanked. Still others are not reprimanded at all. In the news recently a
mother made her 14-year-old daughter stand at a busy intersection holding a cardboard
sign that said, “I don’t do my homework and I act up in school, so
my parents are preparing me for my
future. Will work for food.”
After hearing about this, some said it was psychologically unsafe and would cause
the girl irreparable emotional harm.
Someone should ask these people what kind of damage they really think being in
that situation would cause.
Instead of being criticized, this mother should be commended for her effort in
trying to change the course of her daughter’s life. When it becomes obvious
current methods of discipline fail, it is time to try something new.
If this were the first time the mother had tried to discipline her child, then
yes, it is an extreme way to deal with the matter. A psychiatrist should probably
examine the mother. However, this was not the case.
The teen had already been forced to give up both basketball and track because
of slipping grades. This means taking away privileges was not enough of an incentive
for the teen to improve her grades and behavior.
There are other ways to discipline children, but few are as ingenious as what
this mother did. Instead of simply taking away a privilege or giving some other
weak sauce punishment, this parent chose to put the daughter in a situation that
could very well happen if she did not change her behavior.
In a small dose, this punishment showed the teen that by sacrificing her grades
now, she may have to sacrifice her dignity later in life. The next time she thinks
about talking back to a teacher or slacking off on an assignment, she has a very
real and embarrassing experience in her memory to keep her from misbehaving.
This experience carries far more weight than a spanking or an hour-long “lecture” from
a parent. And, contrary to what some say, this is not abuse, but reality, something
the girl will have to get used to in four years when she turns 18 and her parents
are no longer legally responsible for her.
If she thinks it is humiliating standing on a crowded street for an hour with
that sign, she should think of how much more humiliating it will be to be carrying
that sign with no real job.
If she continues along the path she is on, she could be fired from a job because
she talked back to her boss. And, because she did poorly in high school and possibly
did not graduate, her job options will be limited, especially with the poor reference
from the job she was just fired from.
You can bet on the fact her mother does not want the teen to end up on that path.
Instead, the mother is trying to ensure the only sign her daughter will hold
when she grows up is a business card showcasing her name and position, and not
her failure to succeed in life.
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