Punishing children can be a sensitive and tricky subject for parents. What’s the appropriate way to punish your kids without being “too soft” or “too hard”? One mom’s idea is receiving praise, and criticism, from people all over the world.
MagicMum’s Facebook page shared a photo of a mom’s punishment for her son that broke a household rule. Her son isn’t allowed to use the phone after bedtime and, unlucky for him, she wasn’t going to let it slide easily.
Not only was her son grounded, but in order to become “un-grounded” he would have to earn “points.” Five hundred points to be exact. He could choose however he’d like to earn them back, but it was going to take some work.
The mom’s punishment was a list of household chores; each one worth a certain amount of “points.” Her son needed to earn 500 to see his freedom.
The official notice of being grounded read:
“Congratulations!
You got grounded!!!
To get rid of your penalty, you must earn ___500_____ points.Offense: _____ Playing on the mobile phone after bedtime _____
Write a nice letter to a family member = 10 points
Prepare and cook dinner = 50 points
1 load of laundry (get started, hang up, fold) = 100 points
Clean and organize a kitchen cupboard = 50 points per shelf
Empty the dishwasher = 25 points
Load the dishwasher = 25 points
Clean and wash off counters = 25 points
Clean out microwave = 40 points
Clean and vacuum the living room = 30 points
Sweep and mop kitchen = 30 points
Wash windows = 10 points per window
Water house plants = 10 points
Dust living room = 25 points
Clean bathroom (sink, toilet and floor) = 50 points
Take out trash (and rebag) = 10 points per garbage bag
Clean the litter box = 10 points”
The Facebook post read “Too harsh or about right?” Commenters decided to weigh in on the topic.
Some people thought it was too harsh for the crime.
Other people thought that household chores were not a harsh punishment at all.
This controversial post has been shared over 375,000 times with over 23, 000 comments expressing their opinion on the topic. The parents and commenters weighing seemed to be divided right down the middle; sometimes sparking heated debates amongst one another.
Is there a right or wrong answer in this discussion? Or is it none of other people’s business when it comes to parenting?
The full Facebook post is below. What do you think? Does the punishment fit the deed or was it too harsh?
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