A boy estimated to be about ten years old was seen sitting with his mother in a Townsville, Australia park two days ago with signs across his front and back that read: “Do not trust me. I will steal from you as I am a THIEF.” All of it underlined and in big black bold letters.
Is it Wrong to Use Humiliation to Teach Children a Lesson?
The boy, who was also made to wear Shrek ears (big green ones such as those seen on the Ogre in the animated Disney classic) while he sat, appeared, according to witnesses, downcast and dispirited. No wonder as there were reports of taunts by other boys nearly the same age as they passed by.
At one point, one unidentified witness said, the boy pulled off the ears and then overheard the mother responding by telling the boy “Put them back on or I'll smack your head in."
Most people have seen examples of children being humiliated by parents or even by teachers, either to make a point with the child involved, or to others that bear witness to such forms of “discipline.” Sadly though opinions appear to differ on both the appropriateness and ethics of such acts, not to mention their effectiveness.
One woman after seeing the boy with the sign looking so miserable called the authorities. Others merely scoffed and nodded, seeming to understand the reasoning behind the mother’s actions.
Other examples abound, such as the step-mother recently in the news who forced hot sauce into her step-son's mouth to punish him for lying and is now facing child abuse charges. Surely the press coverage that resulted from the video that was released of the encounter was more of a punishment for the boy than the pain of the hot-sauce.
Should Parents that Use Humiliation to Punish Children be Punished Themselves?
Clearly there are no laws that specifically outlaw humiliation of children, in order to face prosecution, the humiliation has to come from some physical or emotional abuse or be construed as neglect in order for authorities to step in. Thus the questions remain, should parents be allowed to humiliate their children in any way they see fit, and if not, what should the punishment be? And if so, who should decide what degree merits abuse?
In most countries, forcing a child to wear such a sign is not illegal, though people will debate whether it should be. The whole point is, parents are assigned the task of teaching their children how to behave, and though sometimes their methods might be construed as abuse by others, figuring out where to draw the line is likely impossible for both parents and authorities.
Sources
- “Mother forces 'thief' son into parade of shame” Sydney Morning Herald, viewed August 25, 2011
- "Hot Sauce Mom" Charged with Child Abuse cbsnews.com viewed August 25, 2011
Bob Yirka - Bob Yirka has written thousands of online articles and backs them up with a BS in Computer Science/MS in Information Systems Management.
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