Kneeling punishments for children?

[Country_Gal]

What do you think of kneeling on rice or corn as punishment?

How about a good old fashioned swat on the rear? Short, sweet, and to the point.

Or, waterboarding, have ya thought of that?

 

[maryjk]

Just an FYI.

The OP: joined yesterday morning, posted this question at the same time.

AND hasn’t returned.

 

[mafh]

Just an FYI.

The OP: joined yesterday morning, posted this question at the same time.

AND hasn’t returned.

Well, they could be a member under another username, and just didn’t want to post the question under their usual name.

 

[Kamaduck]

Well, they could be a member under another username, and just didn’t want to post the question under their usual name.

I doubt they’d want to come back and post either way, since the response has been overwhelmingly negative.

 

[bcuster]

Not a good idea. It is unnecessarily cruel and it can cause a backlash later on for them against religion. A person I know used to wake his children up in the middle of the night to pray the rosary as punishment for his and their sins. His children grew to hate religion in general and the Church in particular. It is a form of abuse.

 

[Country_Gal]

Well, they could be a member under another username, and just didn’t want to post the question under their usual name.

Pretty sure that’s against the rules

 

[Sheeniac]

My mother was raised by her old world Eastern European grandparents, and that was a common punishment. She may have also suffered through that in Catholic schools growing up.

 

[Rete]

Just an FYI.

The OP: joined yesterday morning, posted this question at the same time.

AND hasn’t returned.

I pointed that out about a day ago. I think this could be a non-Catholic who operates under the prejudicial assumption that Catholics support child abuse. Which is why I pointed out the reason for the negative response is that such behavior flies in the face of what most Catholic parents know to be true and good.

 

[maryjk]

I pointed that out about a day ago.

Very true. But I generally give them at least a day (or 24 hours) to return. People have lives.

I think this could be a non-Catholic who operates under the prejudicial assumption that Catholics support child abuse. Which is why I pointed out the reason for the negative response is that such behavior flies in the face of what most Catholic parents know to be true and good.

Could be.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

I never had to kneel on rice or corn as a kid, but a couple times after I misbehaved at Mass, my dad made me kneel in the middle of the room with my arms straight out to my side, holding a book in each hand, with the promise of the belt if I dropped them. It was horrible, but I never had any punishments like that afterward. Never acted up at Mass after, either.

When my son was 7 or so, we had a terrible time with him at Mass one Sunday. We’d had difficulties with him before, but this week was far outside even his worst previous behavior. I had him kneel when we got home, although it was on carpet and without any books. The worst part for him was that he was still in his church clothes. For me, though, it suddenly brought back memories of what I’d been through. I didn’t use kneeling as a punishment after that. Thankfully, he never acted up at Mass to the same degree after that.

 

[Aggie414]

I guess I had just a very different experience. That was how my mother punished us – putting us in the corner on our knees. I was not traumatized by it, I have no horrible memories of it. I didn’t like it – but kids aren’t supposed to like punishment. It certainly got our attention!!!

I realize that some parents go overboard with punishment and it becomes abuse, but a lot of what I’ve read in these posts is reasonable punishment and I don’t understand the dramatization of it and the trauma that people continue to feel from it. Again, I’m not talking about real abuse. But punishment is made to change a person’s behavior and get them restarted on the right path. You have to make it something that the kids don’t want to have to go through again so they make different choices. If you don’t, you get kids that grow into adults who cannot behave and they end up in my courtroom.

 

[ILIKECEREAL]

Being on your knees on the floor alone can damage them. I was told this by family so I don’t do it that much. You can potentially cause your kid to need a knee transplant when older. I wouldn’t do it.

Instead of punishment try talking to them and explaining things and using positive reinforcement. Remember they are people and deserve to be treated as an individual. Negative reinforcement isn’t as effective as positive.

 

[on_the_hill]

It doesn’t sound too bad to me, within reason, like any other corporal punishment.

I certainly will not judge and condemn parents who use it responsibly.

I have no problem judging or condemning parents who would use it. They’re child abusers plain and simple.

 

[EasterJoy]

Just an FYI.

The OP: joined yesterday morning, posted this question at the same time.

AND hasn’t returned.

Well, they could be a member under another username, and just didn’t want to post the question under their usual name.

Pretty sure that’s against the rules

I’m pretty sure people do it, especially if they are afraid they’re going to be embarrassed for anyone to know they even asked the question. (Which is pretty much what happened.)

I would be very surprised if the OP has not been back to read the answers, whatever the reason for posting the question. I’d say the response has been as close to unanimous as it gets. If they had any doubt what kind of answer they’d get when they posted, they don’t now.

 

[on_the_hill]

My grandmother described the same punishment when she attended Catholic school, literally 100 years ago. The girls wore thick tights under their dresses and they’d have to roll them down below the knees and kneel on dried beans.

Isn’t it amazing how people can justify doing to children what would land them in jail if they did it to an adult? Seriously. If someone tried to make me kneel on rice/beans/peas/whatever I’d break his arm. Maybe that’s why people don’t use corporal punishments on adults.

 

[snarf1978]

What do you think of kneeling on rice or corn as punishment?

Kneeling is okay but kneeling on rice or corn that is torture and sounds like child abuse to me.

 

[snarf1978]

I was “punished” this way as a child; and believe me, I’m a well-adjusted, self-sufficient adult. And we must have seen a different picture in the previous post. I didn’t see a picture of horrific abuse. Try working in a courtroom (like I do) and you’ll see true horrific abuse.

If it’s not your choice of punishment, don’t use it; but don’t make it out to be more than it is. I kneel at Mass much longer than my mother made me kneel in the corner.

Well good for you! The statistics do not uphold your past history. Corporal punishment has not shown to be an effective form of behaviour modification. It only serves as a temporary measure in most cases. Once you tell people that kneeling on corn is okay one parent will take it to mean 5 minutes and another parent will make their child kneel for 3 hours. Either way by justifying the use of corporal punishment you are in fact opening the door for abuse. When you child acts up ignore the behaviour and when the are acting correctly then praise them for their positive behaviour. If you child acts up in a place where they cannot be ignored then you remove them from the scene and explain to them why such behaviour is unacceptable and continue to praise when they are doing good.

There are always going to be people who will go through some of the worst things imaginable and say they came out just fine. That doesn’t mean that for the majority of people that will hold up.