Monday, March 9, 2009

Punishing your kids

Alright who can think of some creative ways to punish kids when they act up?

Here's a couple I have in mind:

- Make your sons or daughters share a twin size bed.
- Keep those super spicy peppers on hand and make them eat one if they are acting up.
- If they won't share a particular toy, sell it.
- Make your sons put on a ballet performance for the family.
- Mow the lawn using scissors
- When they get into a fight, make them participate in a prolonged hug with each other, something like 10 to 15 minutes of constant hugging would be good.
- Make them go Christmas caroling in Halloween costumes regardless of the time of year.
- Give your daughters a boy's haircut, like a crew cut, bowl cut or a mullet.

Let's see what you've got. Keep it humane, no cutting off fingers or anything but I'm sure you have some that you've always wanted to use on your kids, or you plan to use when you have kids.

12 comments:

Kevin and Bekah said...

A friend of ours mine would give her daughter two wake up calls. If she wasn't up by the third, frozen marbles were poured into the bed. You can't roll away from those suckers!

Kevin and Bekah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I grew up on a 12 acre quasi-farm and my dad was a genius at punishing us with CHORES. One time in particular, I remember having to clear an acre of brush off a hill side in 100 degree heat. No fun.

sherry said...

I'm assuming you're kidding. Humiliation is far from discipline. It's dehumanizing.

Anonymous said...

If you're not joking...

Something tells me you have a really black and white idea of gender roles. What kind of message are you sending to a child when you treat them this way? It's definitely teaching them a lesson, but I'm not sure the lesson they learn will be "don't do that again," it'll probably be more along the lines of hate or worthlessness.

I agree, Sherry, humiliation isn't punishment, it is inhumane.

Also, hugs are supposed to be a positive, safe place for children. Making them hug as a punishment seems incredibly wrong and confusing.

mcgregorfamily said...

Ha! This makes me laugh ... creative! I have a 3 year old daughter and 2 year old son .. and another daughter due in July. In all seriousness, time outs are the most common discipline used around here. But - I don't think my son would see performing ballet in costume as a punishment! He loves to wear his big sister's dress up! It would have to be more like make the offender watch the other eat a cookie.
We try to recognize and reward preferred behavoir as our first line of defense around here. But time outs are plenty and spankings have occured.
I remember having to write an essay for my parents on what I did wrong, how it affected the family and how I was going to change it and ensure it would not happen again. Taking the time to think through all that created a big impact on me. It is definitely for older children, but an idea I have saved in my head for when that time comes :)
Thanks for the laugh ... and ideas, hee, hee!!

Unknown said...

These were funny Jonathan! I laughed. I like Bekah's also!

Rosebud Organics said...

I would pay to see your sons put on a ballet performance. It could be a very lucrative punishment for you to dish out.
;)

Chris said...

Miller Time,

this was a funny post. I especially love it when people take your jokes as an opportunity to lecture you about their morals....funny. Anyway, wanted to comment to help you out a little, and say that everyone these days are too quick to think that one little action will warp someone for their life. Sin is a choice people, and if people choose to sin, it's not because their parents made mistakes.

Now, cleaning the toilet always felt like punishment to me. My dad used to take away my non-Christian music when I would act up also, and I hated that because there's only so much Petra and White Heart someone can listen to. Another thing is taking the bedroom door of the hinges to their room. Kids don't act up when they know they are being watched...all the time.

Josh said...

Humiliation is always a good idea, don't let the ladies get you down.

MillerTime said...

Hey thanks for sharing all your punishment ideas and experiences guys, I enjoyed it. Corbs and Josh, great to hear from you guys, I hope you're doing well.

Here's one more punishment I thought of, assign your kids homework like reports. Make them do a report on something like the Coolidge presidency, or maybe a writeup on a day spent observing a banana slug. It would also probably be good to make your kids do a compare and contrast on like 10 colleges, maybe it would come in handy when they are ready to consider college.

Anna Cecilia said...

Hey! I actually already do some of your discipline ideas.

Can't share? Say good-bye to the toy... FOREVER!

Can't get along? 10 second hug... or until they start laughing. I count really, really slow too.

Oh! And making your sons dance ballet is NOT humilation. It's funny!