If you do, then you might want to rethink your discipline strategy, especially if it includes washing your kid’s mouth out with soap.
My parents made the popular soap-eating threat on numerous occasions while I was growing up, though thankfully, they never had to follow through.
Such is not the case with a Florida family, who recently made headlines for taking the soap punishment to extremes.
According to news reports, Florida police jailed and charged Wilfredo Rivera and Adriyanna Herdener with neglect of a child and child abuse for forcing an eight-year-old girl to chew on soap after she swore at her mom.
The girl’s mom, Adriyanna, reportedly made her daughter suck on a bar of soap, then had her chew on it for 10 minutes. When the girl complained that the soap was making her throat hurt, the mom administered cough syrup, hoping to ease the girl’s pain.
Can you say ironic?
However, police say, when the cough syrup did nothing to alleviate the young girl’s pain, the mom’s boyfriend Wilfredo (who cops say suggested the soap trick to begin with) took the youngster to the hospital.
According to hospital officials, the girl, who suffers from asthma, was wheezing, gasping for air and had developed a swollen lip.
Needless to say, Adriyanna and Wilfredo had a LOT of explaining to do.
Police took the two to jail while the girl was placed in child protective custody.
Apparently, Wilfredo wanted police to take note that he didn’t leave the girl rolling around at home in pain. Still, cops didn’t seem all that impressed that Wilfredo took the kid to the hospital given that it was his idea to have the girl chew on soap to begin with.
Who knows; maybe Wilfredo was made to suck on soap when he swore at home as a child. Of course, look how he turned out. He’ll have a criminal record if he is convicted, and he’s probably out a girlfriend, if Adriyanna has a single functioning brain cell in her head.
As for the old soap punishment, I’m thinking that should be retired for good.
What do you think? Would you consider washing your kid’s mouth out with soap if he swore at you? What method of punishment do you prefer to keep your kids in line?
Related Articles:
Do Your Kids Need a Manners Makeover?