Or is that political correctness gone mad?Parents should not tell their children they are naughty because it damages their confidence, according to Annette Mountford, chief executive of the parenting organisation, Family Links. She also claims that a child's self-esteem is hurt if they are called naughty and suggests that parents stress that the behaviour, and not the child, is naughty.
However, the suggestion has angered many family groups who say that parents should be able to discipline their children as they choose and without worrying about being politically correct.
Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Ms Mountford said that using the phrase 'naughty step' should not be encouraged. The former health visitor controversially said, ""I would argue that using the word naughty is the problem.
"It's fine to be firm and consistent but you call that a naughty step and the child actually calls himself or herself naughty. That's really bad for them. Children have behaviour that is unacceptable and undesirable but I think if you use the word naughty it puts the parents and child in a really different frame set, in a much more antagonistic set.
"Parents should say: 'What you have done is very naughty, I don't like the way you behaved' but not that 'you are naughty'. "
She added that children do not quickly forget being shouted at, and this can seriously affect their self-esteem and confidence.
Hugh McKinney, of the National Family Campaign, called the suggestion 'political claptrap' and said, "Parents bring up their children in a wide variety of ways but to allow children to indulge in naughty behaviour and not control it causes confusion, not only to the children but also to other family members as well. It's about time that state-funded organisations like Family Links stop telling us what to do with our lives."
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October 2006 |
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