Discipline has taken a new form. Nowadays parents have the option to go public with it. Acts of discipline have been displayed for the entire world to see on social media outlets like Facebook and across the World Wide Web, such as You Tube.
But is this really public discipline? Or is it more like public humiliation?
I know many parents who agree with those that choose to broadcast to the world some of the extreme methods of disciplining children. Who could forget the father that shot his daughter’s laptop because of her disrespect and abuse of Facebook?
There have been cases where children were made to wear sandwich boards, telling the world what they had done wrong. Not only did they have to literally stand in public but it was also put on the internet.
One that I recently saw was a teen boy who had put on a pair of pants that were two sizes too small and well below his buttocks. His dad made him attempt maneuvers, such as squatting, while videotaping and then put it online.
Not everyone is going to agree with me. But I personally don’t see this as a form of discipline. I view it as humiliation. And I don’t think the lesson is a very good one for our children.
As an adult, if you had done something wrong at work, you would much rather be “disciplined” behind closed doors. We would expect our bosses to take us to the side and chastise us for whatever it was we did wrong.
How would we react if instead it was turned into some kind of skit, to be performed in front of all our coworkers? Granted, we may not ever do what we did again. But we would also likely develop a lot of anger and hurt.
If we are constantly telling our children to be careful about what they post online, shouldn’t we as parents be doing the same? We know the long-term impact it can have, such as getting a job. So why would we put something out there that could do the same?
Of course, I also believe that some parents are looking for a few moments of fame. And to have their children pay the price, well that is a downright shame.
In the end, I just don’t see the benefits of what some call public discipline. I say keep it behind closed doors.