How Do You Discipline a Child?

The debate on how to best discipline a child is one marked with longevity and controversy. And lately, it’s been making headlines left and right. 

The most recent trend in disciplining has been the use of humiliation tactics. Parents are exposing children to humiliation by mandating very public admissions of wrong doings; most popularly, forcing their kids to wear signs. This creative form of punishment has been receiving a significant amount of attention from the media.

Recent sign spottings include:

“I was sent to school to get an education. Not to be a bully… I was not raised this way!”

“I like to steal from others and lie about it!!”

“I am a thief. I took money from a family member.”

Humiliation, it turns out, is a highly controversial form of punishment. While the public outcry of support for this type of punishment has been overwhelming, opponents include most childcare experts. Respected author, Alfie Kohn, has suggested this is a disrespectful way to treat any human, regardless of age, and sends children the message that parents are not to be trusted.

But this latest trend is not the only form of child disciplining that people don’t agree on. For example, spanking is always a source of debate.

Last June, spanking received massive media coverage when a Texas woman was arrested for spanking her two year old daughter. She was fined and sentenced to five years probation and mandatory parenting classes. What’s more, her three children were temporarily removed from her custody. Judge Longoria, who presided in the case, explained, “You don’t spank children today, in the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don’t spank children. You understand?”

This case sparked outrage and, somewhat surprisingly, Judge Longoria’s decision has received little public support. Many cite that spanking, not resulting in injury, is legal in the state of Texas. The few defending the judge’s ruling have suggested that the law is dated and needs to be readdressed.

Such strong support and strong opposition of two very different forms of discipline leads to the assumption that there is no “right answer”. Or at least, the right answer has not been discovered and defined. Certainly, everyone has their idea of the right way to discipline a child so they will feel loved and also grow into a caring, responsible and successful adult. Is it the place of the government or police to define how parents discipline their child?