We’ve heard about all kinds of discipline, lately, from a dad shooting a laptop and parents making kids carry signs. There’s a new story and some people say this Maryland dad went too far. He punished his son by making him carry a sign that said “Homeless, Won’t Listen to Parents” when the 12-year-old didn’t call home on time and spent the night at a friend’s house.
Kevin Burks is the newest parent to make the news with his trendy style of discpiline. Many experts say that public shaming is not good for kids. However, other parents support public shaming as a form of discipline. One expert said that teenagers need to see respect modeled by parents in order to be respected.
We can’t expect kids to treat us with respect unless we treat them with respect. Wait, I take that back. We can DEMAND that they respect us – but unless we reciprocate and MODEL RESPECT – we MAY get respect in the short term, but we aren’t going to foster the loving, communicative, respectful relationships we want to have with our kids long term.
Burks told a local news station that neighbors called the police on him. They said the punishment was cruel. However, the police that responded commended Burks on his efforts as a parent. He took a break with his son every two hours and had breakfast and lunch. Burks said: “I pay for his clothes, his shoes, the roof over his head, his safety and everything he has. My thing is if you want to be your own adult, you’ll sit outside and be your own adult.”
Do you think this punishment went too far or is it a good idea for discipline?
