No matter what you believe, or what style of parenting you are using to raise your kids Attachment, Tiger, Free Range, Feminist, or anything else now is the time for each of us, as parents, grandparents and educated adults to come together against one big parenting trend that has no philosophical relevance or psychological benefit.
Its time to stop shaming and humiliating children.
For those of us who are appalled at these incidents, its time to do more than merely complain or judge. Its time to take a stand.
Here are 5 things you can do today to bring awareness to this issue and to take an active role in changing it and perhaps save one child from experiencing the effects of humiliation at the hands of a parent.
1. Don't Bully the Parents
If youre going to blog about it or chat it out publicly, focus on what can be done to change the trend, not a running list of why these parents are "doing it wrong" or are "bad parents."
Remember, parents are doing the best they can with the information they have.
Also, attacking people makes them defensive - closed to new approaches to parenting.
Lets stay away from play-by-play editorializing and instead, bring awareness to the unintended realities and effects of their actions. Remember, there is no good in making the parents feel guilty by shaming them for their choices and subsequent actions.
We want to encourage new thinking, not punish or humiliate them for their old thinking. Otherwise, wed perpetuate the same cycle!
2. Use Facts in Comment Threads
If you have the time, jump in with a comment that refers to objective, identifiable facts that public shaming can rally up a mob mentality (one video mentions people were swearing at a child forced to wear a sign), affect the childs dignity, leave an undesired effect on a childs legacy, fracture the parent/child relationship, teach submission to a bully, degrade human spirit, and so on.
3. Use Social Media Proactively
Nearly every parent on the street will say they dont support bullying, but they havent made the connection that humiliating and shaming kids
is a form of bullying.
Make the point that if teachers or employers decided to publicly shame students or employees, it would be a series of explosive, high-profile HR complaints and obvious lawsuits. If we, as a society, accept one form of public shaming, were teaching that it is okay to bully one another.
Simply put it out there that shaming our kids isn't "creative discipline," it's bullying.
4. Offer Alternative Options and Ideas
Instead of trying to get the kids to comply with our every demand, focus on developing mutually respectful relationships. Over time, this ensures that we'll raise a generation of thoughtful, respectful, rational adults.
The shaming trend is just an impulsive new twist on every other "quick fix" strategy meant to force kids into complying with parents expectations (sometimes reasonable, often not).
5. Share Good Information
Give people positive, thoughtful, realistic examples or insights that will shift their thinking.
Share simple ideas and good information on the subject, as well as the basic human value we all carry in this world.
Weve all been overwhelmed, weve all be embarrassed by something our kids did or said, and weve all had moments of bewilderment when raising kids. That does not give us the right to shame and humiliate them and then to brag about it in cyberspace. There is a bigger picture here that gets lost in the sensationalism of this topic.
If you value mistakes as vehicles for growth, then you cannot value the public humiliation of those who make mistakes. If you want to teach children not to bully, then you cannot play the role of bully. Take it seriously as its critical to society that we see the connection and educate those who do not.
Good luck and weve got your back!
