This episode is brought to you by Skillshare. The first 1,000 people to sign up using the
link in the description will get their first 2 months free. Just about all of us at some point in time
will have been on the end of a punishment from those people we call parents. For the younger of our viewers, that might
have been having your iPad or phone taken away from you until your homework was finished;
for others, punishments will likely have taken the form of less money coming your way, a
short period of time you were not allowed to go and hang out with your buddies, or even
a little smack to the behind when you were very young. But not all moms and dads read the various
‘Good Parenting’ manuals that come out for every generation, and you could say some
parents take punishments a bit too far. That’s exactly what we’ll look at today,
in this episode of the Infographics Show, Worst Punishments Kids Received from Their
Parents. We’ll offer a disclaimer first and say that
some punishments might have been common in the past, hence sayings such as, “Spare
the rod and spoil the child”. This phrase relates to corporal punishment,
like spanking, hitting with a rod, shoe, stick, or cane. This kind of thing seems outdated now, but
some people still argue that it is needed. So, when we say worst, that’s subjective. According to Psychology Today, such punishments
are still common throughout the world today. We will talk about more common punishments
in this show, or perhaps punishments that could be conceived as common, rather than
scour the media for instances in which sadistic parents did horrible things to their children. We’ll try and keep it light, and at the
end you can decide what punishment was the worst. 10. Not sparing the rod
Domestic corporal punishment is largely frowned upon and has actually been outlawed in many
countries, but many nations have not imposed a ban. It’s a punishment that is supposed to inflict
pain on the child, such as spanking (sometimes known as smacking), or hitting the child with
an object such as dad’s smelly size 12 slipper. In fact, looking at forums which had input
from kids growing up in the mid to late 20th century, getting hit with a hand or an object
wasn’t out of the ordinary. People wrote that their parents would not
use their hands, but use a paddle, a cane, a shoe, or perhaps worse, a belt. We put this in the number 10 spot not because
we don’t think it’s bad, but because in the past it was so normalized. Things have changed, though. 9. Washing the mouth out with soap and water
While it’s hard to believe that this was a thing, there are many recorded cases of
it happening that have been discussed in studies. Usually the child will have spoken out of
turn, perhaps cursed, even blasphemed, and the resultant punishment for such an infraction
would be to literally wash the child’s mouth out with soap and water. Believe it or not, we found a website called
MeanestMom.com where a woman talks about how this had proved successful in disciplining
her son. In the comments section, other moms said vinegar
works just as well. This was 2009, but reading such comments,
one might think there was internet in 1909. 8. Grounded
Now, you’ve all probably been grounded, but sometimes that could be more like imprisonment
and you might wish you’d have been made to swallow some soapy water. We found online that some parents have used
a punishment called long-term grounding, or what sounds more like house arrest. One person on Reddit said he spent much of
his teenage years grounded. On another blog, we found a kid who had been
grounded for 8 months. There is a saying “Grounded for Life”,
but such a punishment would no doubt be very abnormal. Nonetheless, some parents believe that by
keeping their kids close, they are protecting them. Most psychologists believe the opposite, and
that such mollycoddling will make the child weaker and unable in later life to deal with
social problems. 7. Shooting up your stuff
As you know, parents often take your things away from you as punishment, which is a kind
of deprivation. Some parents have taken this a step further. One such person appeared in American news
media in 2012 after he shot up his 15-year old’s laptop and posted the video on YouTube. He later got a visit from child protection
services. We might also add that even though the video
went viral, some people said it was fake and the dad was just trying to get some publicity. All we can say is taking a gun to your kids’
digital devices, if real, is kinda harsh. 6. The end of privacy as you know it
Looking around the web, there are forums with parents asking if it is ok for them to remove
their teenager’s bedroom door? Some parents ask if it’s even legal, as
teens might have a legal right to their privacy. One person said on one forum, “Their right
to privacy does not supercede my need to make sure they're not engaging in activities that
could be detrimental to their future.” Others called it cruel. What we found is that plenty of parents do
it, in spite of the time it must take. On one forum a person wrote that if you stop
them from doing something in their bedroom, they will more than likely just do it somewhere
else. Perhaps it’s best to talk to kids about
the ‘thing.’ 5. Public humiliation
In 2012, the Huffington Post published a blog post in which one writer said public humiliation
of kids is a new trend, at least in the USA. She cited an instance in which parents in
Illinois made their 8-year old daughter stand outside school wrapped in a sandwich board
that read, “I like to steal from others and lie about it!!” Another kid in Miami had to stand outside
his school holding a sign that said, “I was sent to school to get an education. Not to be a bully.” And yet another kid in Denver had to stand
on a public street holding a sign that read, “I am a thief. I took money from a family member.” Since it became quite common, some people
have called it barbaric and abusive. Perhaps one of the most brutal of public humiliations
was the parent that shaved her 12-year old daughter’s head and made her run up and
down the street in a diaper. The parents did this in 2012 because the girl
had gotten bad grades. The mother and her boyfriend were later charged
with a gross misdemeanor. 4. Viral shaming
This is quite similar to public humiliation, but it goes a step further in that you won’t
just be shamed for a day, but people can enjoy laughing at you for many years after the actual
event. Time magazine wrote about public shaming via
the internet in 2015, stating parents chastise and embarrass their kids with the intent to
post the video on YouTube. Sometimes kids holding up signs similar to
what we talked about were later posted online by the parents. One video shows a teen holding a sign saying,
“I'm a liar and thief. When I grow up I want to go to prison. I am on the road to failure! I'm a self-entitled teenager.” Time interviewed a psychologist who not surprisingly
was very much against such shaming, saying, “The Internet is forever. These videos could have an effect on a child's
whole life, maybe cost them a job someday.” His advice: Parents, wise up and leave those
kids alone. 3. Hacking your child
In 2010, a news report emerged in which a 16-year old boy was suing his mom for hacking
his email and social media accounts and then saying things that upset him. The mother said this was just punishment because
her son had said some things on social media that she didn’t like. In 2012 another mum in Ohio hacked her daughter’s
Facebook page, leaving a post stating: “I do not know how to keep my mouth shut. I am no longer allowed on Facebook or my phone. Please ask why, my mom says I have to answer
everyone that asks.” There’s an ongoing debate about how ethical
this child-hacking is. At what age should the kids have total control
over their accounts? 2. Tying your kids up
Some parents have been so lost regarding how to keep their kids out of trouble that they
have resorted to not allowing the children to go anywhere. As we said at the start, we don’t want to
focus too much on the criminal and abusive aspects of punishment, but these stories made
the news of late as over the top kinds of punishments. One was a kid in China, who is seen with a
steel chain around his neck in his bedroom. The Chinese dad told the press in 2014 that
his son just kept stealing from neighbors, and because it was a small community the son
would get caught. The dad would then have to return the goods
or if they were gone he’d have to pay. “I can't keep paying compensation all the
time because I just can't afford it and eventually someone was going to call the police and he
would have been locked up,” said the dad. Another case was in Malaysia in 2016, when
a mother tied her 11-year old daughter to a lamppost with a steel chain because the
girl had been skipping school. “There is such a thing as tough love, but
this is taking it too far,” said one person who had seen the stricken girl. 1. Taking the poop to school In 2002, the LA Times wrote that two parents
were facing charges for abusing their child, a young teen that had been an example of very
tough love. One day his parents had forced him to take
dog feces to school with him in his school bag because he had failed to clean up the
yard. The mother was charged with misdemeanor child
abuse and the father was acquitted. The case was well-known at the time. The 16-year old had indeed been a problem
child, but people couldn’t decide if such a punishment should be a crime. “Concussions are clear and diagnosable. Emotional abuse may not be,” said one expert
at the time. If stories like this intrigue you, you should
consider taking a skillshare class called Forensic or Criminal Psychology. The class will teach you fascinating facts
and theories behind criminal thinking and behavior. You can learn this and many more things by
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Skillshare.com/ infographics11 or clicking the link in the description will receive 2
months of skillshare absolutely free. Join skillshare and start learning today! So, what do you think is too much, or not
enough, regarding punishment? Are any of the punishments we mentioned today
ok with you? What about your own experience with punishment
at home? Let us know in the comments. Also, be sure to check out our other video
called What Makes Popular Kids Popular?! Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
