Discipline, from Latin discipulus == "pupil", refers to actions designed to teach your children.
It can sometimes be difficult to discern discipline from child abuse, defined under the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act as "Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm." Let me get some things out of the way first:
- NO SEX. Any form of sexual abuse or exploitation is not effective discipline and is OUT.
- Any corporal punishment or other action that leaves bruises, burns, or bite marks is OUT.
- Abusing your children because your parents abused you is being a bad role model and therefore OUT. Do unto your child as you would have em do unto others.
- Lying to your child or teaching your child to lie is OUT. Say what you mean.
- Telling your child that e is worthless is OUT. Encourage correct behavior.
- In general, denying your children food, water, clean clothing, shelter, an education, medical care, physical safety, or love is neglect and OUT.
(Sources: http://www.childabuse.org/ http://www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/stats00/define.pdf)
Discipline should be given in moderation; anything further becomes abuse under the law.
So what does that leave?
- Confining your child for a few minutes is a common practice often called time-out. But don't go overboard.
- Anyone up for a writeup on discipline methods?
More kinky...
The concept "emotional harm" in the law may not be that well-defined and varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Are these abuse or not?
- Teach your child a conlang as his mother tongue. This is similar in a way to the forbidden experiment but 1. is much more practical and 2. won't bring charges of neglect. With twins, attempt to learn and document their language. (Reading Gritchka's writeups will give you a handle on techniques of linguistics.) Then speak it back to them, regularizing any irregular constructions they introduce. Let your twins play with other twins. (To get around some states' "mental injury" provisions, also teach the child a language spoken by the general public.)
- If your boy's school does not require a uniform, dress your boy in a shirt that reaches down to his ankles. He may get made fun of, but a thick skin is important in the real world. See also Alvin and the Chipmunks.
- Teach your child ways to move about other than simply walking or crawling. For example, occasionally bind eir legs together and place them in front of eir body, forcing the child to walk on hands and bottom like the Bile Demon from Dungeon Keeper 2. It's important to let your child know that this is a game intended to teach the child to appreciate what $DEITY has given em.
Obscure facts
California law appears to authorize private kiddie porn parties put on by law enforcement personnel.
Other child abuse nodes on E2
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