Q&A for How to Punish a Child

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  • Question
    What happens when I lock my child in a room?
    Community Answer
    In many states/jurisdictions, that would be considered neglect. It's incredibly dangerous to lock your child in a room. If they get hurt or require medical attention, you wouldn't know and they wouldn't have any way of coming to get you, for example. Not only that, but this could lead to a collapse in trust between you and your child.
  • Question
    My kid wets the bed on purpose. Should I make her wear diapers at home and school for a week every time she does this?
    AbigailAbernathy
    Top Answerer
    No. Public humiliation may be in the headlines, but it will damage your child's self esteem, body image, and mental health. How do you know she wets the bed on purpose? She could be saying that to cover it up. To avoid her wetting the bed, put in a rule that she is not allowed to drink water 2 hours prior to bed and she must use the restroom before going to sleep. if it persists, take her to the doctor to find out why she keeps wetting the bed. If she's lying to cover something up, that will call her bluff.
  • Question
    Why do I get punished?
    Drake Bott
    Community Answer
    You are probably getting punished because something that you are doing is going against what your parents wanted you to do or doing something they told you not to do. If you are getting punished for something, ask: "Did I know about this before I started getting punished?"
  • Question
    I told my 9-year-old kid to go to the corner, but he keeps walking away and I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried surrounding the corner, but he squeezes passed me and I don’t want to hurt my child. What do I do?
    Kammyisawesome
    Community Answer
    Try a different punishment that doesn't involve standing somewhere for a certain amount of time, like take away his devices, and/or cut back privileges like TV time, time with friends, etc.
  • Question
    Is it okay to let my 10-year-old play Grand Theft Auto?
    Community Answer
    Grand Theft Auto is not acceptable for most 10-year-olds since it is rated M (for Mature Audiences). It has representations of blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and the use of drugs and alcohol.
  • Question
    How should I punish my 16-year-old for having friends over while babysitting his kid brother (something I've told him not to do)? I've given him multiple warnings and he's broken the rule several times. Should I ground him?
    Community Answer
    It's your choice, but it wouldn't be unwarranted.
  • Question
    How should I punish my teenager for stealing her friend's brother's cigarettes and smoking them?
    Community Answer
    Don't let your teen visit that friend for a while. Explain to your teen the dangers and costs of smoking.
  • Question
    My 6-year-old kids keep making messes on purpose and breaking things. What should I do as a fair punishment?
    Community Answer
    Use safe and mild punishment: something like time-outs, grounding or elimination of various privileges.
  • Question
    How should I punish my 16-year-old for having friends over while babysitting his kid brother? I've given him multiple warnings and he's broken the rule several times. Should I ground him?
    Community Answer
    In this situation, grounding is probably not going to do much beyond making your teen angry. Plus, as you would have no way to enforce the rule of no friends while babysitting, it would be ineffective to stop the behaviour. Instead, the punishment should be not being able to babysit for you. The money that he would lose from not babysitting should teach him a lesson. Instead, put the money that would be used to pay him to being used to pay for an actual babysitter. He has proven he is not mature enough to babysit.
  • Question
    My son is two years old and he always watching phone like children's songs. I cannot stop him to watch that all day long, what can I do?
    Iris8989
    Community Answer
    Take him to the park for a walk, as he can observe nature, like the grass, flowers, and bugs there. You could also let him draw with non-toxic art supplies (in case he eats them). Playing with a bubble gun is also nice, and so is a fun bubble bath.
  • Question
    How can I stop my 12-year-old daughter from crying herself to sleep every night? I've punished her, and she still does it.
    Iris8989
    Community Answer
    Do not punish a child if they are feeling angry or sad. That just makes them feel worthless and they will continue to cry themselves to sleep. Apologize to your daughter and ask her why she is crying. Then, follow appropriate steps to solve it. If she got bullied at school, tell her to stand up for herself and tell the teachers. If she is stressed, you should try to calm her down and, for example, if she has trouble with school, get her a tutor. If she has a mental illness like depression, please take her to a therapist/psychologist.
  • Question
    Is telling my child they are useless and comparing to other kids, scolding them daily, emotional abuse?
    Community Answer
    If you mean calling a child 'useless', this is considered verbal (and emotional) abuse. Comparing a child to other children, whether they be your or not, is also emotional abuse. Every child, even if they are twins or siblings, is different. One might like playing outside and enjoys school, while another may prefer video games and despise school. Instead, talk to your child about what's expected of him/her and what violating those rules results in. You will get better results from explaining the rules rather then comparing, which does not really explain the rules in any way.
  • Question
    My son (11) was watching porn secretly the last 3 months for 2 hours per day. I got him to an addiction psychologist and he is declared addicted. He askes for porn every day! How should I punish him?
    Kammyisawesome
    Community Answer
    Understand that some children, some earlier than others, will reach a certain age where they become curious about things of a sexual nature and it is not uncommon for children going through this to begin watching porn. First of all install something that will prevent him from accessing any inappropriate sites and explain to him that he is too young to be looking at that stuff and when he becomes an adult it is his choice (as long as it is legal) but for now you cannot allow him to watch it. Tell him how bad the nature of the stuff he is watching is, how it can be abusive or sadistic, which will have a bad effect on him especially since he is only a child.
  • Question
    How should I punish my daughter for cutting her cousin's hair?
    the golden
    Community Answer
    First hear her out , then you can ground her for a time and tell her to say sorry for her cousin and to make it a sincere apology.
  • Question
    Why did my dad leave?
    Kammyisawesome
    Community Answer
    Your dad may have left for many different reasons, perhaps it was his relationship with your mother or he had things to do elsewhere but the important thing is to not blame yourself for his adult decision to move on.
  • Question
    My child does adorable puppy-dog eyes, and it's so hard to give her a punishment when she does them. Is there a way to punish her for trying to get out of consequences?
    Kammyisawesome
    Community Answer
    Falling for those adorable puppy-dog eyes will only enforce the behavior and keep it happening. Instead, you need to remain firm and tell her she has done wrong and has to face the consequence. Eventually she'll stop because she'll learn that it won't get her anywhere. Letting this continue could lead to more manipulative behaviors later in life.
  • Question
    I'm a mother of a 9 year old. For a breaking a minor rule, do you recommend 20 minute timeouts, 10 minutes in their room, or no tablet for 4 days?
    Community Answer
    For breaking a minor rule, you should judge their time out by their age. Your nine year old should have 9 minutes of time out, and should apologize. I wouldn't recommend sending them to their room, as they will have things there to entertain themselves.
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