I know people who do spank, I know people who yell and I know people who really don’t discipline at all and have those wild tots who run all over the place. We use counting and the naughty step. I think our daughter has sat on the naughty step maybe 3 times in her almost 3 years. Counting seems to work for us and things don’t usually escalate to the next level. I stole the naughty step idea from Jo Jo (the Super Nanny). I can remember being pregnant and thinking to myself that I would never have a child who acted as out of control as the kids in the show, so we tired to absorb and steal her ideas because they seemed to work.

I think for a lot of parents these days spanking is out and we are trying our hardest to find an effective alternative. I feel how you discipline your little one is a very personal choice, but you can’t help but notice when someone is using “shouting” as a discipline technique.

Not too long ago I was in a store and there was a mom who was yelling at her kids so loudly the whole store seemed to be looking. Not only was she yelling, but she was also exhibiting verbal abuse and overall just really poor parenting. You could tell the kids were used to it, but they were crying and trying to defend themselves. To top it all off the grandmom was standing there watching it happen. I was just in awe watching and listening to her. She actually caught me watching and asked me if I had a problem with how she disciplined her kids and was very threatening. As you can imagine I immediately left. I was shaking as I walked out to the car. My husband and little one were waiting on me and I just sat there and cried to my husband and told my daughter how much I loved her. My heart bled for those poor kids.

There is a very interesting article on my JuiceBox widget over on the right had side of the page. It’s from the New York Times. The New York Times says “shouting is the new spanking” and this title caught my interest. I know not every case of shouting will be as bad as what I witnessed a few weeks ago, but this article made me stop and think…I am not a shouter, but I do get flustered from time to time and I know my daughter can probably sense that. I am going to commit to not showing her that I’m flustered… no matter what she’s gotten into or how bad my day has been.

What do you think? Is shouting the new spanking? Are you a shouter? The article is a very interesting read. You can check it out by clicking on the appropriate frame in my JuiceBox on the sidebar. Tell me how you feel too! And don’t forget to answer the poll. The poll is on the little Juice Box Jungle widget too, keep clicking the arrow until you find it.