Hot Saucing - Acceptable Discipline? We Want Your Opinion
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What is Hot Saucing?
Maybe when you were younger your parent's would threaten you that they would wash your mouth out with soap, and sometimes they actually did.
Do you remember the scene from the movie "A Christmas Story" where Ralphie gets to have a bar of soap in his mouth for dropping the f bomb?
(don't worry if you didn't see it or don't remember it - there is a quick clip of it on this page)
Instead of using a bar of soap, some parents are making their children take or drink hot sauce as a punishment.
After they drink the hot sauce they are not given any food or drink to alleviate the burning feeling.
Other times hot sauce is added to food that their parents force them to eat.
Since there are varying degrees of the heat intensity of hot sauce some people feel that this is not just a way of punishing a child but is actually a form of child abuse.
Other feel that this is an acceptable way to discipline their child as many other forms have not worked and this method is even listed in a few parenting books.
We want to know how you feel about this touchy subject and we have several areas of this page where you can voice your opinion and let other readers know how you feel.
So want want to know ...
Do YOU think that Hot Saucing is an acceptable form of discipline or should it be considered child abuse?
Please keep the debate G rated, no foul language, no attacking other commenters and above all please keep it civil and positive.
I know that it is a very hot and controversial subject but if you want to persuade someone to come around to your way of thinking you won't do it by yelling or calling someone out.
Thank you!
Contents at a Glance
We Want Your Opinion About Using Hot Sauce as a Parenting Tool
Do you feel that forcing a child hot sauce is an appropriate way to discipline a child or would you consider it a form of child abuse?
I see the use of hot sauce as a punishment / deterrant by a parent an acceptable way to discipline a child because....
dthonstad says:
If you say hotsauce is abuse then is spanking an abuse as well? I used this method as a last resort as a new parent looking for anything to help my boys stop biting. Nothing worked prior to using hot sauce and it was recommended by a co worker. I guess like anything it depends on how it is administered. I think a light swat on the butt to keep a little child from touching a hot stove or doing some other dangerous behavior is worth the mild discomfort to the child to save from the greater danger of the hot stove. Yes it is conditioning, but you can't explain hot stove to a 9 month old or a 1 year old for that matter. So do you let them burn their hand and learn the hard way? On the other hand I know spanking can lead to abuse when done in anger and an all out swing vs. a light swat are two very different things, just like a small drop of hot sauce on the tongue would be very different from say forcing a child to drink a swig of it or hold it in their mouth on their tongue. I just want to caution people from terming something as abuse without being very clear about the details. It is too easy to throw the word abuse out there without being very clear about what is being discussed and the full details involved. I certainly do not think I abused my boys, nor do I think they will have any sort of long term pyschological damage from a drop of hotsuace on their tongue to get them to stop biting.
I feel that using hot sauce as a way to discipline a child is a form of abuse and ....
nancy P. says:
As a pre-teen I CHEWED my fingernails to the point of bleeding sore. My mother tried all the OTC bitter things without luck then tried dipping my fingertips into cheyenne ground pepper... I grew up to like spicy foods. I only quit bitting my nails when I was 15 because I saw how awful my hands looked. As a spice loving adult, I have choked on too much hot sauce and felt I was exfixiating. I should think that feeling imposed upon a child could be traumatic, besides the physical scorching. I used a thumbnail to the earlobe to get my childrens (5) attention then TOLD them exactly what was expected of them. I had VERY few unacceptable social outbursts.
GrowWear says:
...outrageously cruel, and IS child abuse. Cannot understand how any parent could think that to be acceptable behavior.
ErinElise says:
I think it's definitely bordering on abuse, especially parents who aren't allowing the children anything afterwards. I agree with the_health_lady in that discipline should teach a lesson. There are better ways to do that than hot sauce in the mouth...unless they're okay with it.
DanMoriarity says:
Not sure I'd go so far as to say it's child abuse, but I think there are more effective way sof disciplining your children.
The_Health_Lady says:
I find that the use of hot sauce is not discipline at all. Discipline teaches a child a lesson and shows them right from wrong and why something may be wrong or unacceptable.
What does the use of shoving hot sauce in a kids mouth teach them? Just that that their parents don't have the patience or the desire to understand about behavior.
If your child is misbehaving find out why. Then once you know why you can help the child to understand the correct way to act in a situation. Children know and understand much more than these parents are giving them credit for.
Maybe the parents should go to professional counseling.
taywaefl says:
I think it is a horrible thing to do and could cause serious damage. That being said I used to put hot sauce on my son's thumb (with his permission) to help him stop thumb sucking while he was sleeping. He learned to tolerate hot peppers and could beat any adult in a pepper eating contest!
Hot Saucing Controversy Segment on Good Morning America
Interview With Dr. Harvey Karp
A Different Take on This Parenting Technique
Is Hot Saucing a Child Just Bad Parenting?
Do you remember this scene from "A Christmas Story"?
A Few Helpful Resources to Check Out
- The Daily Buzz
- The editor of Woman's Day weighs in on the subject
- The Washington Post
- Article from the Washington Post called "Feeling the Heat" dated August 4th, 2004
- Perdue Unniversity - Guidance and Discipline
- Making Discipline Positive
- Life Matters
- Positive Discipline the Key to Mutual Respect
Tools for Stressless Parents
Are We at a Point Where We Don't Discipline Our Children Enough?
Do you feel that we are just getting to be too "soft" on our children?
Yeah we're too soft, that's why they are so out of control. Plus...
ErinElise says:
I think parents have become soft. But I also feel that with all the split households these days, parents are hesitant to fully discipline their children for fear that the other parent may misconstrue it or somehow it could be taken and used against them or that maybe it will cause the children to have harsh feelings toward them.
DanMoriarity says:
I think sometimes we don't demand enough of our children and hold them responsible for the consequences of their actions. It's not so much a matter of punishment, but a matter of making sure they face up to the real life consiequences of their behaviour.
No, I don't think so...
GrowWear says:
Parents, for the most part, have always been soft on their children. Nowadays, they are too soft on themselves. It takes work and commitment to raise a child.
The Mom Speaks Out
When did you first hear about hot sauce being used as punishment for children?
Popular Parenting and Child Development Books
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Creative Correction
By Lisa Whelchel
The reviews for this book are a mixture of both 5 stars ( the highest customer rating) and 1 star ( the lowest customer rating).
It's a controversial book and depending on your parenting views you will either love it or hate it.
Creative Correction
Amazon Price: $6.18 (as of 06/01/2012)
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Do you have any final comments that you would like to add to this page before leaving us today?
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dthonstad
Sep 6, 2011 @ 5:42 pm | delete
- This is a tough issue. I do not think it is abuse, and I hesitate to admit that I used this on my twin boys when they were younger to get them to stop biting. It was the only thing that worked. A co worker suggested it as an option at work and being a new parent I was desperate for something. We used it very sparingly and always gave them a drink, but we did not have to use it much. It did work. I do not think I abused my boys and I do not think I caused them excessive pain, just mild discomfort.
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GrowWear
Aug 16, 2011 @ 9:35 am | delete
- Just that real parents think of much more loving ways to discipline their children.
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winlin
Jun 3, 2011 @ 4:25 pm | delete
- Are you kidding me? Why don't we just put little shock collars on our kids instead? My stance is that this is --- "cruel and unusual punishment" and not a discipline at all. --
I mean washing your mouth out with soap is distasteful, but it does not inflict pain in the way saucing does. I guess that's the difference in my opinion. You did a nice job putting this lens together.
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Tipi
Jun 1, 2011 @ 3:15 pm | delete
- As a form of punishment no way. As a way of helping someone control their own behavior, like finger nail biting yes, if it works. My oldest son heard about it in school or somewhere, and he was the one with the idea of putting hot sauce on his finger nails. He learned to enjoy it, and still bit his nails. So much for that experiment. That stuff you buy in the store didn't help either.
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The_Health_Lady
Jun 1, 2011 @ 3:25 pm | delete
- I agree about using the hot sauce in certain instances such as nail biting & also many veterinarians suggest to use Tabasco to help dogs stop chewing on furniture. They don't like the taste so they stay away.
And also agree that for a punishment it's not right. When the child is being punished they don't have a choice on how much they will be given - unlike when it's used for nails or dog chewing.
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