Saturday, September 8, 2012

Week Three: Post Two


2). After reading Chapter 3 in its entirety, answer the following question:  Sometimes abusive parents say they merely teach strict discipline.  What do you think is the difference between pushing and disciplining a child?  When do people overstep their paternal authority to punish their children?  


I think that discipline becomes abuse when a child is physically harmed or when their emotional well-being is compromised. As a mother myself, I know that children do need structure, discipline, and sometimes, consequences when they misbehave or don’t follow the rules. However, no child should ever be subjected to physical or intentional emotional harm from the people who are supposed to love and care for them. I think that abusive parents often take out their own frustrations on their children, and this anger is obviously misdirected. Parents need to remember that children are unable to advocate for themselves and that they rely on their caregivers to make decisions that will ultimately have a direct impact on their live. To me, it seems clear that the line between discipline and abuse is crossed when a parent does not consider what is in the best interest of the child and uses force or unreasonable punishment to convey their message to an audience that is not capable of defending themselves.

2 comments:

  1. I really like the way you defined the line between abusive and discipline. I do think that physical and emotional harm are both equally abusing for a child and damaging. I also really like reading the opinion of discipline from a mother's perspective because not being a mom myself, I don't really understand how parents think in terms of discipline and abuse. I only see when one or the other occurs. Thank you for sharing! You have some great insight!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The way that you were able to explain the difference between the two was really good! Especially because you are a mom, its nice to know your thoughts on this subject. I can only think about what a parents feels when a child does wrong, but I don't actually know. I think that your strong view on this should be spread to other parents when they see how well your child is doing. You are creating a great life for your child! Power to you!

    ReplyDelete