@Greatest I am,
Greatest I am wrote:
Is it fair to arbitrarily increase punishment to your child?
If you were to tell your child that if he or she did a certain sin or mistake, you would implement a certain punishment, and when that infraction took place, you added a number of extra punishment, would you think you were acting in a fair and just manner?
A scenario would go like this.
If you told your son, if you do not make your bed, I will ground you for 2 days.
That same day, he did not or refused to make his bed.
You confront him and say that he is grounded for 2 days. At the same time, you tell him that he is also grounded for a further week and also looses all T V privileges and must also do the dishes for a month.
Do you think you have dealt fairly with your child?
Regards
DL
I suppose it's all about how far you want to go with this.
When raising children, punishment should be about teaching them that there are consequences to our actions and inactions. On the one hand, the world doesn't always make us aware of all the consequences upfront. So there is that lesson in truth.
On the other hand, an unmade bed carries it's own set of consequences.
If the issue is actually the bed, why the extra consequences?
On face value, the issue seems to be one of control rather than the unmade bed. Forget the bed, you will do as I say, or there will be consequences.
If that is the lesson ( and I think it is) the point should be clarified with the child or the lesson will fail, resulting in a fractured relationship, which happens more often than not.
To sum up; It is unfair to punish arbitrarily.
