SmackDown: Would You Publicly Punish Your Child?

I agree with you, something has to be done in ode fo this child to know that its NOT okay to cay a gpa such as his. it's not okay fo the teachers to just pass children along without them obtaining acceptable grades. what are they going to do after they graduate? they can't even get a job without proper education. This mother did the best thing she could do, maybe her son will get his grades up so she won't do it again!

Amen!! It's time to stop blaming everything and everyone else for a child's bad behavior. What has happened to personal responsibility?

It seems like many people didn't bother to completely read the articles above. The story from writer Jessica Samakow says "I could understand how this punishment would be cruel if given to a child who was truly trying their hardest in school and was just having difficulty understanding the curriculum.

But, as Holder says, this was not the case with her son. She says she has tried anything and everything to get him to raise his grades. Her many attempts to help him were unsuccesful, but it was ultimately his indifference to the matter that prompted her to punish him publicly."

This mother is obviously concerned about her son and HAS tried other methods of helping him prior to this. What I see in this is a concerned mother who is trying to do her best to instill in her son a sense of understanding the benefits of a good education. And the mother's comment that ".... it was ultimately his indifference to the matter..." I think speaks volumes. The son appears to have not cared about school and didn't believe he would need an education later in life. She was trying to show him that was not the case.

While I don't think this option is the best for every situation, in this case, based on the information provided, it seems appropriate.

And for those of you who are dying to know, no, I do not have any children of my own at this time, but have many nieces and nephews who I have helped with their school work. Even during my high school years I tutored my younger cousins when they needed help, especially in math as I was in advanced math classes. And my family all worked together to help her when it was discovered one of my nieces was dyslexic.

I will finish with this story. I have a very close cousin who now regrets her decision to not apply herself in school. She was always into partying and having fun. Grades meant nothing to her, and trust me, many family members, including her parents, tried to get through to her, but it was no use. She could do the work, but chose not to. She will tell you today however, that she wishes she had paid more attention in school and gone on to college (even community college or a technical/vocational school) as she has run into many limitations, including the ability to promote, in her work situation due to the lack of education.

How silly, nobody on here has any idea if the mother took any other steps to persuade her child to do better in school. Personally I don't care one way or the other. Should this kid not be ashamed of his GPA and his actions that led him to that? The world is a cruel place to the lazy, if you believe standing on that street corner for five hours was cruel, wait and see what the world is going to do with him. His mother seems to not care what her son thinks of her and is doing WHATEVER it takes to motivate him. She is not trying to be his friend, she is a parent which carries a responsibility to this whole country.

poor little kiddie!!! he/she has learned that there are results/some tough/for your'e actions, and that is something in this ,noone is responsible for their actions world that needs to be reinforced and taught, feeling hurt? to bad kiddie suck it up ,learn from it, and move on, life is hard and it's time the kids learned it

Wow cenders...really? That is physical abuse!! Can you be so dense? Seriously think before you type.
@A mom in CO - haha love your comment about people being forbidden to think differently than them! haha I agree with you on that.
Look we have our own opinions and everyone else has theirs. No need to get upset if we think different. In my opinion I agree with a mom in CO and I don't see what is wrong with what this lady did. Everyone will eventually be embarrassed in their lives and don't tell me you never have because I'll just call bs.
Good job lady for actually being a REAL parent and doing something about your kids grades. What happened to the old days when parents would punish their kid for doing something bad, intentionally of course. Even though I wasn't born during those times I think some parents should be aloud to do that, of course only for a legitimate reason though. I mean are you people saying that no abuse is okay? So what if your child told you to F*** off? You wouldn't smack them? But if you did wouldn't that be abuse too? And sending them to their room is really going to teach them a lesson? Come on people! It is not that simple and today kids are much more cruel, they'll pretend they care but they wont! I can see it in many of my friends that they don't care what their parents say. There are certain situations where it is acceptable to punish your kids, at least in my opinion.

@cenders: You are an idiot! How can you can you even compare sexual abuse to what is going on here? Is your brain seriously that diluted?

I was spanked and punished growing up and I turned out just fine. Its sad to see that today children cannot be punished in any way beacuse everyone calls it abuse. It is time for parents to be parents and the government to get out of the way.

"If they're not being injured"?? A mom in Co: I'm aghast at, and disappointed by, your definition of "injured". Humiliating a child IS injurious. My father's idea of 'Loving discipline" is to insult, mock, and call names. And far more than once he grabbed my shoulders and shook me until I thought my head was going to snap off! More than once my mother had to pull him off of me. I survived the shaking and choking, but I STILL deal with the insults, mocking and name calling - and those began nearly 60 years ago! (and they still happen, BTW). And he had the nerve last year to angrily exclaim he does it because he "loves" me. Love like that I can do without! I keep my distance from my father now. I have people in my life - husband and friends - who love and accept me as I am. I do not need a parent who thinks humiliating and insulting me is an acceptable example of "love". This woman's son may choose to permanently distance himself from her - and I won't blame him!

I know a woman who made her daughter go to school with a sign on her chest that said, "Ask me why I'm grounded", then called some of her teachers to make sure she was still wearing it. I don't consider that cruel and unusual punishment. I consider it learning that there are consequences to your actions.

Melissa -

Do you actually KNOW that the mother didn't try anything else first? As a current college student, I'm closer to the age of this kid than (I assume) you are, and if I were doing that poorly in school - both now and in highschool - I would APPRECIATE the kick in the ass from my parents. I don't want the rest of my life destroyed because I decided to be lazy, and that's exactly what this mother is trying to prevent for a son who doesn't see the big picture yet.

And cenders -
Saying that a step-parent has no right to "parent" a child is bull. A step parent has just as much right, and deserves just as much respect, as a biological parent. You don't know what kind of person the biological mother is. What if she's abusive? What if she's a drug addict? Is the step-parent still less qualified? My step-father has been more of a dad to me than my biological father EVER will be, so you should take that into consideration before you say that a step-parent is less responsible for the actions of their children than a "real" parent.

Just saying.

I agree with you completely. As parents we have gone away from true dicipline of our children. I see parents trying to reason or bargin with their children instead of setting down concrete rules for them to follow. We have become so touchy-feelly today. I say take it back to the old school...butt whippings and tissue if our kids act up. I don't want to hear that the mother in this situation is lazy. She, like alot of us, is busy busting her butt in order to provide a decent life for her child and the thanks she get is a 1.22 GPA and being called a bad mother. Really!! Like Tony earlier in his post, we need to get back to raising our kids..not the government...not other critics who don't know the whole story

I completely agree with you. Parents these days have been robbed of being parents, too many people out there so happy and willing to point fingers at parents who are trying to teach their kids a lesson. I know one day when I have kids, well lets just say they better be prepared, because I am not going to put up with anything. Parents shouldn't have to, and others should worry about their own families.

Couldn't have said it any better..

I totally agree. Plus the kids 15. It's extremely doubtful he's still at the stage where he'd come out of this with any kind of emotional abuse. If he did I'd say that's only from all the unnessesary media coverage. Still though the mother did the right thing and way less painful than a spanking plus much more creative. If I were that kid I'd be grateful my punishment was standing on the streetcorner. Long as it was warm out anyway :)

Get real

Massive difference between minor humiliation and severe psychological trauma. It's not like this kid is a prisoner in Abu Ghraib, where they were abused and sexually assaulted. He has every right to be embarrassed about a 1.22 GPA. You almost have to try to fail that horribly without a learning disability. Making your child kill a pet guarantees psychological trauma and the punishment in that case doesn't at all fit the crime.

I agree. We need to stop babying our children and make them understand that actions have consequences. Kids may not WANT to do poorly in school but a lot of them are just indifferent. My sister and brother didn't care about school and now they're both jobless living with my mother. I cared and am extremely successful.

Well, if public humiliation is a valid teaching tool, then that mother should be standing there right next to her son, with a sign that reads "I am an inadequate parent. Honk if you think I need parenting classes."