Disciplining our children has become a creative challenge

OPINION: Long gone are the days of the cane. Today, announcement boards and other creative measures are being used by parents.

Six-year-old Indigo had an announcement board created by her mother to get the message across that if she dumps her rubbish in or behind the couch again, she faced harsh punishments. Picture: Contributed

I STILL remember the last of my classmates to receive the cane.

I can't remember why he got the cane; I just remember he got the cane.

And the cane was not used very often in my school so it was a big deal when someone was so naughty the principal decided it was the only appropriate punishment.

This was in the late 1980s or early 1990s, before we became a cotton wool society.

Now, we watch kids get away with vial behaviour in public and wonder what went wrong.

I know of many examples of parents finding alternative ways to disciplining their children without having to raise a hand to them, or their voices.

For instance, my aunt and uncle have managed to raise four girls, all about a year or two apart, by using the naughty corner technique.

They've used it quite effectively for the past 18 odd years.

Meanwhile, other friends of mine loose patience and get so frustrated, only to end up yelling at their children and having very little effect.

However, one of my friends posted a photograph depicting her latest discipline measure and it caught my attention, alone with about 30 of her friends.

Six-year-old Indigo had an announcement board created by her mother to get the message across that if she dumps her rubbish in or behind the couch again, she faced harsh punishments. Picture: Contributed

My friend found her six-year-old daughter was not only stuffing rubbish in the gaps of the lounge cushions, but she was throwing it over the back of the couch for it to lay on the floor between the couch and the wall.

My friend created a sign, and a big one at that, explaining what the consequences will be for her daughter, Indigo.

For the popular, happy-go-lucky, sparkly little miss, one of the punishments will be no boyfriends.

This is despite my friend trying to encourage her daughter to have no boyfriends until she is 20.  I believe at one stage, Indigo would have made Elizabeth Taylor and Taylor Swift jealous with four or five boyfriends at the one time.

Ok, maybe I'm over exaggerating.

But now the question is - has the 'announcement' board worked?

Only time will tell.

What discipline measures have you heard of parents using?

Originally published as Disciplining our children has become a creative challenge