DISCIPLINE
by D r. W . Robert Smith
S ome good counsel was given long ago when it was sugges t ed , “Don’t make mountains out of mole hills.” A basic concept of penology is to make sure the punishment fits the crime. Too many demands are made upon children meting out punishment out of keeping with the problem in volved. A father spoke to me very asser tively that children ought to be or derly. This is true, however, they are not normally so. He told me frankly that he had done everything to get his son to make his bed and to keep his room tidy. I was astonished when he added, “Sometimes I have whipped him until the blood ran.” I quickly reminded him, “If you whip a boy for such things, what is there left to do by way of discipline if he commits, a really serious crime? If you apply the worse kind of punishment for the slightest offense, the child has enough discernment to see that it is not fair. He will soon rebel and with little wonder. People will frequently ask me, “What about thumb sucking?” Usu ally there is very little to be done. In all my years of teaching college, how ever, I have yet to see a boy sit in With the completion of the new men's dormitory facilitieswill be provided on the Biola Campus for more than 750 residence students. One of the largest of the five structures is the new women's residence hail accommodating more than 300 students. Pictured below are the two housemothers, Miss Margaret Kilmer (left), and Mrs. Betty Scott. ■ v ■ 1 I 1 •*■•
one of my classes and suck his thumb. Children usually get over the habit. Remember, however, they may not get over the discipline and lack of love which was a part of the sad ex perience they had. A mother writes, “I would like to have your advice on a problem with our two-year-old daughter. She sucks her thumb and has been doing so since the age of nine months. When she was a week old we gave her a pacifier on the advice of our doctor because nothing else comforted her. She has a callous on her thumb and it has been infected from time to time. If we tape the thumb she will suck any of the other nine fingers. We have tried drug store preparations to put on her finger. We have tried slapping her hands consistently at times, but all is to no avail. She receives a lot of affection and encouragement. We have tried not to overcorreet her in other areas. Could she really have a sense of insecurity?” Suppose she does have a sense of insecurity? If sucking the thumb is a manifestation of this, just because she is disciplined will not help. Per sonal development in character and spirit is far more important than thumb sucking. Usually this problem does not cause infection. If you have gone through all of these processes to get the child to correct her thumb sucking then take it as a matter of fact and let it go. Don’t continue to “harp” on the problem. Such would create a real barrier between your self and your little girl. Sometimes it is more a matter of habit than inse curity. On the other hand, if you and your husband are insecure, you may be reflecting this upon her. Be considerate in your discipline. To be always slapping a child for sucking his thumb, what is there left to disci pline him for when he does something that is morally bad? Use rewards and 19
i l
M r i ' _
~ |f l[
/
|v
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker