"Hot saucing" as a punishment?

[JeeberD]

Stinging Debate
Parents Divided Over Practice of ‘Hot Saucing’ as a Form of Discipline

Aug. 24, 2004 — The practice of "hot saucing" a child's tongue as a method of discipline may seem cruel to some parents, but those who regularly use the punishment say it teaches their charges valuable and long-lasting lessons.

Lisa Whelchel, who played Blair on the popular 1980s TV series Facts of Life, is an advocate and practitioner of "hot saucing." Whelchel, the author of Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline, says the practice worked for her children when other disciplinary actions did not.

"It does sting and the memory stays with them so that the next time they may actually have some self-control and stop before they lie or bite or something like that," Whelchel said on ABC News' Good Morning America.

Whelchel says she would have never used hot sauce to discipline her three children if it caused lasting damage. The actress-turned-home-schooling mom suggests using just a dab of hot sauce, placing it on your finger, then touching your finger to the child's tongue.

Boston family therapist Carleton Kendrick says he is vehemently against hot saucing or corporal punishment of any kind.

"There's no room for pain and humiliation and fear in disciplining healthy children," Kendrick said. "I think it's a rather barbaric practice to say the least."

[In a non-scientific ballot on ABCNEWS.com, 35 percent of voters said they feel hot saucing is an acceptable form of discipline. Sixty-five percent of voters said the practice of hot saucing was not. More than 8,000 votes were cast in the online ballot.]

Whelchel says she's been aware for some time that many people are strongly opposed to hot saucing, (which was covered in The Washington Post earlier this month) a form of discipline that's been around for decades, but she says she believes in many different creative ways to discipline, including this one.

"It's totally against popular opinion in culture these days," Whelchel said. "I prefer my child receive a small amount of pain from my hand of love than to encounter a lot more pain in life," she said.

Whelchel said hot saucing works better than traditional spanking when it comes to offenses related to the child's mouth.

"It's a logical consequence. If you cause somebody pain, either by the words you say by lying and not being a trustworthy person or by biting, this is a logical consequence. It's your mouth that's the offender," she said.

Practices at childcare centers in Michigan and Georgia were called into question after it was discovered that workers used hot sauce to discipline some of the children.

Kendrick says even parents who endorse corporal punishment should think twice about using hot sauce to discipline children because it could lead to an investigation of child abuse in some states.

"The state of Virginia, for instance, calls this practice bizarre and finds it an actionable offense," Kendrick said.

Whelchel says she practiced hot saucing from the time her children were in pre-school through their 10th birthdays. Her children are now 12, 13, and 14 years old.

Whelchel says parents who turn to creative punishments should always use common sense and make sure the punishment is age-appropriate.

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I know for a fact this sort of punishment wouldn't have worked for me when I was a kid...I loved anything spicy.

Curious if any of you parents out there have heard of or tried this...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Can't say that I've ever heard of it before now.

I can say that I would have agreed to just about anything Lisa Whelchel suggested back in her heyday.

[Joe]

how is using a dab of hot sauce suppossed to be punishment?

[bbor]

I prefer Taco bell punishment.....and we ALL know what that can lead too


STING RING!!!!!!!!

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

how is using a dab of hot sauce suppossed to be punishment?

Some people freak out about anything spicy. Especially damn yankees...

[Buzzbee]

All I can say is that IF you can get your kid to open their mouth to accept it, and IF you don't get your finger bitten off, have at it. Although if you can willingly get your kid to open their mouth to accept this as punishment, then you probably don't need it.

Oh, and what about the kids that LIKE hot sauce? Maybe some syrup? Possibly some Kool Aid?

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Maybe CraigSca should try this with his little boy..

[Franklinnoble]

Nice to know that taking my kid to Del Taco is an "actionable offense" in the state of Virginia.

People like this Carleton Kendrick piss me off.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

Oh, and what about the kids that LIKE hot sauce? Maybe some syrup? Possibly some Kool Aid?

Forcing me to eat onions or celery would have been an option for me...

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

oh, and what about the kids that LIKE hot sauce? Maybe some syrup? Possibly some Kool Aid?

Oliegirl's son doesn't like chocolate. Imagine the looks we get when we start force-feeding him chocolate as a punishment!

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Nice to know that taking my kid to Del Taco is an "actionable offense" in the state of Virginia.

Taking a kid to eat California-ized mexican food should be a federal offense...

[Butter]

Maybe we should get Tootie and Mrs. Garrett's opinion before we pass judgment on this hot button issue.

[hhiipp]

My mom used to get me with tabascco sauce when I was younger, she'd put some on her finger and if I wouldn't open my mouth she would open it for me with force. I'd end up with it all over my lips and on my tongue which left quite a sting.

Can't believe I'm the only one here that ever got sauced!

[Ksyrup]

I guess hot sauce is the soap of the new millenium.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I guess hot sauce is the soap of the new millenium.

[GrantDawg]

Belt-buckle. Sauce was for wusses.

[hhiipp]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Belt-buckle.

Saw my fair share of that too.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

Saw my fair share of that too.

a belt buckle dipped in hot sauce?

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

Saw my fair share of that too.

[tategter]

My mom loved to use hot sauce as a punishment on me and my brother. To this day my brother can eat raw habanero and actually doesn't like most foods unless they are on fire. Guess he owes his resistance to years of being a troublemaker.

[Solecismic]

When your kids never seem,
to be living up to your dream,
It's time you started finding out
what t'basco sauce is all about.

Oh, when the boys' behavior's second rate,
I guess you best investigate. Tabasco Sauce. Tabasco Sauce.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

When your kids never seem,
to be living up to your dream,
It's time you started finding out
what t'basco sauce is all about.

Oh, when the boys' behavior's second rate,
I guess you best investigate. Tabasco Sauce. Tabasco Sauce.

This, and the "bunny guano" post within 20 minutes of one another. Somebody's gotten a little frisky since he won the IHOF Bowl!

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Taking a kid to eat California-ized mexican food should be a federal offense...

Are you kidding me? This coming from someone who lives in a state that came up with the whole "tex-mex" craze. I can't stand that tex mex crap, even Del Taco is better than that.

[JeeberD]

Hey, I'm from El Paso. I like the real thing. It's hard as hell to get decent mexican food here in the DFW area...

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Hey, I'm from El Paso. I like the real thing. It's hard as hell to get decent mexican food here in the DFW area...

I was just busting your balls alittle bit. Don't get me wrong though, there are some great Mexican food places out here in California.

[heybrad]

California is the illegal alien capital of the world and you think we cant find good, authentic Mexican food down here?

[JeeberD]

I'm not offended or anything, and I'm sure that there are some great places out there. I was just busting Franky's balls a little bit...

[oliegirl]

As the parent of a stubborn and strong willed almost 7 year old, I would be willing to give this a try. I would make sure there were no allergy issues or anything, but considering my son eats salsa at mexican restaurants, I don't think there are. If it's effective, then that is all that matters. I don't think this is abusive at all.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Stinging Debate
Parents Divided Over Practice of ‘Hot Saucing’ as a Form of Discipline
"There's no room for pain and humiliation and fear in disciplining healthy children," Kendrick said. "I think it's a rather barbaric practice to say the least."

Any wagers that his kids end up more f*cked up than Blairs?

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Hey, I'm from El Paso. I like the real thing. It's hard as hell to get decent mexican food here in the DFW area...

You think you have it rough in DFW... try Virginia. They don't even sell tortillas in the grocery store near my house.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Any wagers that his kids end up more f*cked up than Blairs?

I'd take that bet. I come from an abusive family and my sister raised two daughters who didn't need "pain, humiliation or fear" and they're both fine. One is in college and the other one is entering next month. On the other hand, my cousins ex wife tried it and her son at 14 had to be institutionalized because he wanted to kill his mother.

Like everything else, I feel, it's the parents themselves not necessarily the methods that they choose to discipline that screws kids up. Look at all the screwed up people in the world and how overwhelmingly approved of and practiced spanking is to see my point.

Now, due to my upbringing, I'm vehemently opposed to spanking. It's not so much the act itself but the ease in which it can and sometimes does grow into abuse that bothers me and frankly I don't believe it's ever necessary and I think it's a shortcut to properly instilling respect and discipline in your kids.

This on the other hand, while bizarre and not something I'd ever use, isn't even close to being abusive or humiliating etc and if it works for her, more power to her.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Axxon

I'd take that bet. I come from an abusive family and my sister raised two daughters who didn't need "pain, humiliation or fear" and they're both fine. One is in college and the other one is entering next month. On the other hand, my cousins ex wife tried it and her son at 14 had to be institutionalized because he wanted to kill his mother.

Like everything else, I feel, it's the parents themselves not necessarily the methods that they choose to discipline that screws kids up. Look at all the screwed up people in the world and how overwhelmingly approved of and practiced spanking is to see my point.

Now, due to my upbringing, I'm vehemently opposed to spanking. It's not so much the act itself but the ease in which it can and sometimes does grow into abuse that bothers me and frankly I don't believe it's ever necessary and I think it's a shortcut to properly instilling respect and discipline in your kids.

This on the other hand, while bizarre and not something I'd ever use, isn't even close to being abusive or humiliating etc and if it works for her, more power to her.

I'm certainly not advocating physical abuse, but like you said, what the article describes is not even close. The comment in the article was definitely an overreaction.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I'm certainly not advocating physical abuse, but like you said, what the article describes is not even close. The comment in the article was definitely an overreaction.

I know that you weren't Desnudo. No sane person would. My point on that was that corporal punishments allows an easy entrance for abuse and some do cross that boundary.

You're also right, the comment was an overreaction to a weird but harmless form of discipline.

We're on the same page except for the bet thing. How much do you want to wager anyway?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

You think you have it rough in DFW... try Virginia. They don't even sell tortillas in the grocery store near my house.

Sheesh ... even I can get tortillas (3 sizes, from 3 different makers) and I live the in middle of absolute nowhere (the geographic equivalent of absolute zero).

[Axxon]

Dola,

the woman who raised the son who wanted to kill her is a social worker and she was chock full of the good old fashioned 70's social worker bs. She was trying time outs when the kid was a year old for Gods sake. That's effective.

I'd have wanted to kill her at a far younger age than he did.

Anyway, given that, I really should take the bet on your side but in the interest of a fair wager, I'm still game.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

You think you have it rough in DFW... try Virginia. They don't even sell tortillas in the grocery store near my house.

Strange, they are in every Giant I have ever been in.

You have a house now???? Where, if you don't mind me asking.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Some people freak out about anything spicy. Especially damn yankees...

Yankees? It's Southern food that's the blandest food in the nation!

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Farrah Whitworth-Rahn

Maybe CraigSca should try this with his little boy..

I know this was said in jest, but we decided not to. However, my wife has tried soap once or twice... I'm not sure of the effectiveness as I was out of town.

[Ksyrup]

Soap worked in my house. Unfortunately, I was the guinea pig. It worked so well on me, that my brother never did the things I did that warranted soap in the mouth, so he never got to experience the joy that I did.

[CraigSca]

At the risk of cross-threading, how could something happening to you bring about such a change in your brother? Doesn't he realize he can't know what he doesn't know?

[QuikSand]

Assuming that the hot sauce actually causes the child genuine physical pain (which certainly seems to be the intent from those who praise its use - including the world-renowned chid care expert "Blair from Facts of Life"), then the only difference I see between a "hot saucing" and a "whipping" of the same proportion is the fact that the former doesn't leave any trace - no bruises or marks. This just seems like a deliberate blurring of the definition of corporal punishment to me, in an attempt to get around perceived "policical correctness."

If you favor corporal punishment, fine. But I think it's hypocritical to say you wouldn't hurt your child with a spanking, but you're on board with this kind of pain-based punishment.

[Ragone]

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

At the risk of cross-threading, how could something happening to you bring about such a change in your brother? Doesn't he realize he can't know what he doesn't know?

LOL! So right. It's not too late, though. Maybe I'll fly to San Antonio and give him a bar of soap in the mouth, so that he can have the "privilege" of knowing the expereience just like I did.