Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?
An adoptive mother has gained notoriety after punishing her child by forcing him to hold hot Tabasco sauce in his mouth and then take a cold shower. The whole incident was videotaped by a sibling and later aired on the Dr. Phil show in November 2010 where the parents appear as guests. An investigation was opened and the mother was charged with “misdemeanor child abuse” and pleaded not guilty. Her defense could be “reasonable parental discipline.” If you watch the video you will probably find it as horrific as I did, and I doubt this is the first time this child has been punished this way. I was no less horrified by the cold shower that the child received after the Tabasco sauce.
This situation has an additional complication - this child (along with a twin sibling) was adopted from Russia and the Russian government is upset. They are still dealing with the mother from Tennessee who sent her adopted child back to Russia added to the fact that adopted Russian children have died at the hands of their adoptive families here in the U.S. Russian adoptions have been put on hold since 2010 until the two countries can work out an agreement.
I wonder if the social worker handling this adoption and doing the home study interview asked these parents what type of discipline they used. My husband and I were certainly asked that question during our home study interviews. Were there no red flags on this couple during the interviews?
If this child was problematic did the parents contact any mental health professionals for advice? The adoptive mother is a school teacher and the adoptive father a policeman who ironically specializes in child abuse investigations – they would know what resources are available. Did they reach out for help? I’m aware that post adoption services in our country are either unavailable or inadequate, but a parent can always contact a mental health professional.
This child and his brother were adopted in 2008 when they were four years old. The adoption of older children is never simple and they may very well have adoption related problems that Tabasco sauce and cold showers will not cure. Russian authorities are threatening to annul the adoption (the children have dual citizenship and are still Russian). Although a lifetime in an orphanage in Russia is a horror story in itself, life with this family in Alaska may ultimately be no better.
Image Credit: wikipedia
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Tags: mother in Alaska charged with child abuse, punishing children with tabasco sauce
Should a person convicted of a crime against a child be forced to undergo sterilization?
Do you know if this woman still has these children? My heart BREAKS for them. My two adopted kids from Ukraine kids have clear developmental delays. I hate lying as much as any other mom. My four bio boys lied when they were little; it's normal. Developmental delays, orphanage survival skills and trauma triggers add to all that. The sauce, the shower - and the constant berating of the poor little boy make me physically ill.
Hi, MamaB.
I am right there with you. As someone with a history of childhood trauma, I was triggered for days (had issues with flashbacks) after watching that video. My understanding is that the children are still with her and that she is taking parenting classes. I don't remember where I read that, though, so I could be wrong.
- Faith
Holy s@#$!!
I am appalled, triggered, and in tears after watching that video. What I find most disturbing is that she is using methods that are not traceable afterward, so without this video, she never would have been caught.
I have had to take cold showers before (when our hot water heater broke), and they are excruciating. I also have a lot more body fat than that child does.
I am also appalled that these are ongoing punishments for lying because lying is something that is developmentally normal for young children, and an older adopted child who is only seven years old might not have outgrown that stage of development yet due to developmental delays. That child is clearly frightened in this video. I would rather have seen that child get a swap on the bottom than see what she did here. OMG!
I would physically harm someone who ever did that to my kid!!!!!
- Faith