Don't you think he would have mentioned the more serious transgression on the sign, then? Why humiliate the kid about lying and let the underlying sin go?
It is nobody's business even if the child did lie.
that's not the point of doing this.It is nobody's business even if the child did lie.
Huh?! He's branding her as a liar publicly. Why the hell would you think he would stop at that?
Pickle Juice
Member
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2012
- Reaction score
- 754
I don't think that what she did matters, and I don't think the whether the punishment is disproportionate matters either. All that matters in choosing this as a disciplinary action is whether she will learn from it or resent the hell out of her dad.
I see very few people as being the sorts who could look back on this and accept it as a constructive way to teach a kid to value honesty. I don't resent my Dad for what he tried because he knew it was a mistake, and I don't resent anything he did at all because I knew what he was trying to do. I pretty much knew there was going to be a consequence when I misbehaved, and I was reasonable enough to know I deserved it, even if it wasn't to my liking. But if he had continued along the public humiliation route in order to control my behavior, as opposed to teaching me why lying is wrong, we would have run into major problems. This is akin to public pillories, and those went out 200 years ago, probably because no one learned anything constructive from them.
I see very few people as being the sorts who could look back on this and accept it as a constructive way to teach a kid to value honesty. I don't resent my Dad for what he tried because he knew it was a mistake, and I don't resent anything he did at all because I knew what he was trying to do. I pretty much knew there was going to be a consequence when I misbehaved, and I was reasonable enough to know I deserved it, even if it wasn't to my liking. But if he had continued along the public humiliation route in order to control my behavior, as opposed to teaching me why lying is wrong, we would have run into major problems. This is akin to public pillories, and those went out 200 years ago, probably because no one learned anything constructive from them.
Scorpius
The Lizard Queen
Well, now the dad is getting publicly humiliated on the internet thanks to failblog.org.
jeneticallymodified
Forum Legend
i think that almost all children will lie to authority figures at least once- it's par for the course, and not generally any big whoop. annoying, disappointing, sure. but not grounds for making them wear a frigging sign. if they're persistently dishonest, then that's something you need to get professional help with resolving. not a sign.
holding up a sign wouldn't have taught me to never lie again, nor inspired me to be utterly open and honest with my loving parent, in future- it'd teach me for heavens sake to not get caught again, or to just accept that this nasty piece of work standing smugly stage left, was gonna do everything in their power to try and make me feel like crap, so i might as well just stop giving a damn, or get the hell out of that home, as fast as i could, however i could.
when i look at the picture i don't think "ooooh, bad child- i hope they learn a lesson from this" i think "ouch, ******** parent... it's got to suck to be that kid!"
holding up a sign wouldn't have taught me to never lie again, nor inspired me to be utterly open and honest with my loving parent, in future- it'd teach me for heavens sake to not get caught again, or to just accept that this nasty piece of work standing smugly stage left, was gonna do everything in their power to try and make me feel like crap, so i might as well just stop giving a damn, or get the hell out of that home, as fast as i could, however i could.
when i look at the picture i don't think "ooooh, bad child- i hope they learn a lesson from this" i think "ouch, ******** parent... it's got to suck to be that kid!"
Wolfie
Forum Legend
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Reaction score
- 497
All embarrassing the kid will do is teach her not to trust dear ol' dad. I don't get try to humilate kids as punishment. Years ago I was at the store and happened to turn down an aisle where a woman was swatting her son's butt. She looked up, saw me, then pulled the kid's pants down to swat him. The only point of that move was to humilate the kid. He was old enough to be mortified if some stranger in the store saw his naked rear. Some people shouldn't breed.
Scorpius
The Lizard Queen
I think I'd rather be publicly humiliated than be physically and/or verbally abused by my parent.
jeneticallymodified
Forum Legend
so you'd rather be psychologically abused? cos that's what this is, i think.
Scorpius
The Lizard Queen
Getting whacked and told you're a lousy little **** by your parents probably warrants some psychological damage, too. At least that sign "punishment" is so stupid the kid can eventually laugh about it. At least I think it's friggin stupid.
jeneticallymodified
Forum Legend
i very much doubt that the kid didn't hear about what a lousy little **** they are, all the way to the parking lot, while wearing the sign, etc.
Scorpius
The Lizard Queen
i very much doubt that the kid didn't hear about what a lousy little **** they are, all the way to the parking lot, while wearing the sign, etc.
I wasn't there, I couldn't say.
All child abuse is bad. This one just happens to be bad and stupid. Can we agree on that?
kazyeeqen
Superb Owl
i very much doubt that the kid didn't hear about what a lousy little **** they are, all the way to the parking lot, while wearing the sign, etc.
There's no way to tell that with the information we're given here.
