A new video is sparking debate on whether a father went too far in disciplining his daughter for bullying.
“My beautiful daughter is going to walk 5 miles to school in 36-degree weather,” says the Matt Cox, in a video posted to his Facebook page.
It's the latest example of a parent shaming their child.
In the video, Cox explains his 10-year-old daughter was suspended from riding the school bus for a second time after bullying another student. So, instead of driving her, he made her walk 5 miles to school.
“I know a lot of you parents are not going to agree with this, but that is alright, because I am doing what I feel is right to teach my daughter a lesson,” Cox says.
The father has received both support and criticism online, but experts say shaming can negatively impact a child.
“What happens is the child incorporates that negative image of themselves and that can cause a lot of problems,” says Dr. Robert Sege.
Those problems include depression and anxiety, says Dr. Sege, who co-wrote the American Academy of Pediatrics Policy on discipline. The policy takes a strong stance against spanking.
Effective discipline varies by age, but Dr. Sege says there's a common factor that parents should apply to children of all ages.
“That's the bottom line message that parents should be consistently sending to their children when they misbehave,” says Dr. Sege. “That they know their children are capable of good behavior. Here's what they have to do and sort of what's getting in their way.”
