The amusingly named General parents (Don and Tanyeil) couldn't get their son Trenton to pay better attention to his schoolwork. So they tried something different.
"His parents were about to take the cell phone away — again — recently when they offered their son a choice. 'His cell-phone for two weeks or a corner for two hours,' Don said. 'He chose the corner.'
"'The corner' was not a quiet spot in his room, but rather a very public intersection in the middle of town. There Trenton held a hand-lettered sign that listed his grades — an E in English and math, a C in science and an A in phys ed. At the bottom of the list the sign said, 'My future = shaky!'"
Pretty rough punishment. It's not physical abuse, but isn't it mental abuse? Commenters on ParentDish seem to think that the punishment is OK, with one saying that "public humiliation is quite effective…the parents [did] the right thing." Child Protective Services has visited the family, so they must not agree.
I was a horror in high school, but since I transferred from private to public school, the work wasn't terribly difficult so I was able to get away with not working very hard. In college, however, I stumbled badly my first year. I clearly recall a phone conversation with my mother where she informed me that she "was not going to pay for C's", and that if I wanted to get grades like this I could live at home and go to a community college, one I could pay for with the job I would need to have. She wasn't joking. Guess what? I got my act together.
The problem with threats is that they don't work on all kids. "If you do this we'll take your cell phone away" sets up a benefit/reward structure that doesn't really speak to the value of school, or the fact that you are supposed to do your best regardless of reward. Of course, sometimes nothing works, and in that case, maybe a seemingly crazy punishment like the General's could have some results. Until CPS finds out of course.
Were the Generals wrong? Or should CPS leave them alone?
Source: NY Times
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