Yelling as discipline
A while ago, we had a good discussion about how to teach children there are consequences for their behavior. If you’re politically correct, you must somehow do that without causing your child any physical or emotional suffering. Otherwise, people won’t think you’re a nice parent, which is of course the reason why you had children. You want other people to think you’re a nice person. If they do, you might qualify for a job in a 50s sitcom.
Still, there’s a difference between discouraging behavior and discouraging children. In my wife’s family, yelling was always used as a means of belittling children: control by dismemberment. For PlainJaneMom, yelling can be used as a consequence for bad behavior, without intending to hurt the child. We stirred up some sparks because she and I didn’t seem to understand where the other was coming from.
Still, now that the sparks have died down, I want to go on record as opposing the use of yelling as a form of discipline. No, I’m not trying to be politically correct, but I think most parents can’t do it without hurting their child. It can lead to forms of abuse. Of course, that’s what they say about spanking too.
July 16th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I see you’ve been reading up on linkbaiting.
July 16th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
No, but I do thank you for linking to me back then, though you used rather striking language to do it. I just wanted to clearly say now what I didn’t say earlier out of concern that I would offend you. Do you think I described your position accurately this time?