12-year-old girl locked out of the house by her father's girlfriend

Photo by Spukkato from istockphoto

Proper punishment for your child is necessary for them to develop empathy for others, instill accountability, and gain self-control. According to Canadian Medical Association,

20 years ago, the physical punishment of children was generally accepted worldwide and was considered an appropriate method of eliciting behavioural compliance that was conceptually distinct from physical abuse

However, you must make sure you're not putting your child in harm's way. It's important to not degrade your child, but to teach them that their actions have consequences and the world around them is not a safe place. If you can do that and instill within them a sense of empathy, you have done your job as a parent.

This issue was brought to light in a recent post on Reddit, which described how the girlfriend of a man punished the man's 12-year-old daughter by preventing her from entering the house, which was surrounded by trees.
The author begins the post by mentioning that she and her ex-boyfriend, Mark, have a daughter named Cora who is 12 years old, and that Mark also has a current girlfriend named Janet. But Janet doesn't like children.

Recently, Janet made an attempt to discipline Cora by barring her entry into the house and then locking the door behind her. According to the author, they all live in houses that are encircled by forests, and the author also says that anything could have happened to Cora.

Thankfully, Cora called the author and informed her about the predicament over the phone. As a result, she took her daughter in her arms and dialed Mark's number because Janet wasn't answering the door.
When she told Mark what had taken place, he requested that she first hear Janet's account of what had transpired. She responded by saying that she didn't care because there is no action that could justify an adult locking a child of that age out of the house. Even after she was informed of what had transpired, she did not alter her position in any way.

Therefore, the author inquired with her daughter about how the daughter would react in the event that the author sought full custody of the child. Her daughter responded that it didn't matter to her as long as she didn't have to interact with Janet ever again.

Although the use of punishments can be helpful in the process of disciplining children, care must be taken to ensure that they do not have a negative impact on the children.
Cora was put in danger because Mark's girlfriend was incapable of understanding how to properly discipline a child.
When the author told Mark that she was going to file for full custody of their daughter, Mark told his mother, and his mother later messaged the author with anger. It came to her attention that Mark had provided a different account to his mother. Therefore, she informed his mother of what had actually occurred, and his mother immediately apologized to her.

Later on, it was revealed to her that Mark's mother had referred to him as a "terrible father" and had threatened to cut off communication with her son if he continued his relationship with Janet.

Mark has since stated that the author is a terrible person and a terrible mother, and the author's sister believes that she could have handled the situation more effectively.

Conclusion

Punishments that compromise their safety are not a good idea for children. According to Infoaboutkids, I,discipline shouldn't be punishing. When you punish your child in a way that will compromise their safety, it does not provide them with a lesson in morality that is lasting. Often times, it makes them afraid of you and they do not want to return home. It also makes them feel disconnected from you and their feelings are not taken into account. This can lead to a toxic relationship between parent and child. Also, if they were hurt or harmed, they will worry they will be hurt by you again. The best way to teach your children how to behave is to punish them in a way that they see you as a kind person. They will learn a lesson that will stick with them.