Was this a bad punishment?

Question

My uncle has a 4 year old son that is very aggressive, so one day he stuck him in a pitch black dark room for about 5 minutes as a punishment. After he got out he apologized and did something else, after a few days my cousin was behaving. So could this mess his mind up or something?

Answer 1

I think that is very odd to do, hopefully he did not just put the kid in the room without giving him a warning and letting him know why he was going in time out.  I think it is pretty harsh to put a kid in a dark room like that.  If the child was crying and screaming I would say it could have been traumatizing, but I wouldn't know since I was not there.  If the kid was not scared of the dark, and it was an actual room then it is no different then being in a room at bedtime.  However if it was a small cramped space and the child has never been in the room before then that is horrible.

Answer 2

No. He'll just learn not to be bad. He sleeps in a dark room doesn't he?

Answer 3

Yes. And it's teaching him that bullying works and that he's expected to be afraid of the dark. Your uncle is a bully.

Answer 4

I would say that this type of punishment could be considered abuse and if the authorities found out he was using this type of punishment it could mean serious trouble for your uncle.

Answer 5

this "punishment" (it is abuse IMHO) was used on me and my sister when we lived w/ our aunt/ uncle growing up. if we misbehaved, they would either put us in the bathroom w/ no light or they would send us to bed w/ Tabasco sauce on our tongue. i hope he's alright. yes, there could be psychological damage going on. it can be very traumatizing.

Answer 6

I would not do it, It could scare him and make him more aggressive.  There are much better ways.

Answer 7

yes it is at least to me i think it is cuz that lil boy could have gotten better disipline but i dont hit kids but that was very rude he might grow up and be afarid of the dark or might get some kind of mentle phobia and my saying is "thinnk of what u would have felt like if that was what u were scared to death of" well i hope that lil boy grows up fine. and all he needed was a lil respect and encouragement

Answer 8

The punishment must fit the crime what does a dark room have to do with what he did wrong? Sounds like uncle is taking the easy way out instead of dealing with the problem. It takes time to sit down with a child and explain to him why his behavior is unacceptable and the consequences he will face if he continues. Much easier to just throw him into a room for a few minutes, isn't it?

Answer 9

I think there are other ways to teach a child. If that was the first and last time then I would let it slide. I've tried all kinds of discipline techniques...none that are like that but maybe your uncle is at his wits end and is trying to find something that is effective and not painful.

My son thinks if he hurts someone he will go to jail.  Well, thats true for someone older than 4....so I'm not lying, right?