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Extreme Punishments

Note to angry parents: Shaving off your kid’s hair to punish her for shoplifting is NOT a good idea. Just ask Ajpacaja-Ajiataz. The Florida dad claims he lost it when he heard that his tween daughter stole jewelry from the local Wal-Mart, and then used a Game Boy without permission, so he did what any angry parent would do… first he hit her with a belt and then he shaved off all her hair. For the record, the 34-year-old father denies using a belt on his 11-year-old daughter, though he did admit that he cut off her locks in a … Continue reading →

Shirts That Swear

How do you punish a foul-mouthed kid? Bathe his mouth with hot sauce and soap or ground him until he’s 30? Savvy kids are bypassing parental punishments these days by letting their shirts do the swearing for them. Clothing retailers around the world have long marketed profanity-printed tees, though one uber-popular teen-centric apparel store, Urban Outfitters, is currently generating international media attention for its line of stickers featuring the phrase “Punk as F…” And by … I mean u-c-k. The f-word is spelled out in its entirety on the sticker, which an increasing amount of teens have now taken to … Continue reading →

Single Parent = Child Abuse and Neglect

Most of the time I consider myself a sane and rational human being, I would like to think that most of the time the rest of the world is sane and rational as well. Especially the people who write our laws, I want them to be intelligent and compassionate, I want them to look out for children, but I don’t want them to write laws that will point the finger at me because I am a single parent. Today I am not rational at all, as a matter of fact I am quite livid. Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grotham has … Continue reading →

Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

Each Friday my second grader is given a spelling test at school. On Monday she brings home a list of 20 words. She then has four days to master the correct spelling of each word prior to the Friday morning exam. Last week, my daughter announced that she had to study extra hard for the test because her teacher planned to dole out a punishment to those who didn’t ace the exam. According to my kid, if a student misspelled a word, he or she would be forced to write the correct version 100 times during recess. Fortunately, my daughter … Continue reading →

Dessert for Breakfast

Think of the most heinous accusation that has ever been hurled in your direction. If you are a parent, you likely shudder at the thought of being categorized with these derelict moms and dads, who shouldn’t even be free to walk the earth, let alone be allowed to influence a young life. While you may refrain from using an electronic dog collar to shock your young children as a means of punishment and entertainment, attaching your 13-year-old to the roof of the family van to hold down a large cardboard box, knowingly poison your kids in an effort to score … Continue reading →

Outgrowing Time Outs

The day has finally come. What has lasted for more than five years has reached a sad conclusion. R.I.P. time outs. My six-year-old has officially outgrown the punishment made famous by a TV nanny. So long time out and the seat that forced my child into submission. You restored order in our home for more than 2000 days, and helped preserve my sanity by removing my kid from activities in which she exercised inappropriate behavior. So now what? I relied heavily on time outs to discipline my child. They were effective in that they provided consistent consequences and the place … Continue reading →

5 Reasons to be Thankful it’s Winter

It seems like all anyone in the Midwest can think about this time of year is when spring will arrive. Now that it’s March, you might you might mistakenly expect spring to begin making its entrance. It might be happening other places, but it’s not happening here in the good old Midwest of the United States. It’s one thing to survive a long, cold winter as an adult. It’s another thing altogether trying to survive it with a baby. An adult can handle a long walk in 20-degree weather to maintain her sanity. A baby can’t. If you happen to … Continue reading →

Getting Kids to Listen

Recently overheard “conversation” between a mother juggling her 6-month-old baby and 2-year-old toddler, while her 4-year-old happily frolicked around the parking lot of my daughter’s school: “Lily, get into the van. LILY! Get into the van now. LIIILLLY!!! Stop running around and get into the van NOW! LILY FRANCIS, YOU GET INTO THIS VAN NOW!!! LILY! VAN! NOW! ONE… TWO… LILY… onetwothree… I mean it… GET. OVER. HERE. NOOOOOOOW!!!” Enter another mom, who scoops up the errant child and deposits her into the van that holds a now screaming 6-month-old, an ornery 2-year-old, and a hoarse mother. While you might … Continue reading →

Poor Parenting Or Just Evil?

People do stupid things… and parents are no exception. However, there comes a point when you wonder where the line is drawn between poor parenting techniques and seriously deranged moms and dads who are inherently evil. My fellow blogger Andrea and I have written dozens of posts that feature parents who exhibit questionable behavior when it comes to raising their offspring. In some cases it’s hard to tell if their actions—-many of which fuel news headlines and land them in jail-—are the result of in-the-moment bad parenting decision making, stupidity, selfishness or a combination of all three. Case in point: … Continue reading →

Dad Loses It, Shoots Santa

Did hear about the dad who had it up to here with his bratty kids the day before Christmas? He apparently lost it, cancelled the family’s Christmas, and to drive home his point, went outside with his rifle and shot Santa Claus. I guess his use of the Santa threat wasn’t as successful as mine, so he took matters into his own hands. “Dad Pushed to the Edge By Warring Kids, Grabs Gun and Shoots Santa!” Now there’s a headline you don’t see everyday. It’s the stuff urban legends are made of, only this isn’t a legend; rather it’s part … Continue reading →