If you had a child who had done something very wrong, such as stealing, how would you punish them?
Depending on the age of the child this prompt could have many answers. First, I would fight all my rage and approach the situation calmly. I would start by addressing the underlying reason for the “crime.” Then I would implement meaningful and prompt consequences: for example restitution and an apology to the “victim,” followed by a trip to the police station to talk about making good choices. Or I would connect with community resources available such as the Schools Resource Officer (SRO). If the crime was severe enough and there were criminal charges I would not try to “bail them out.” I would want them to “face the music.” Perhaps, it is naive to have faith in the justice system, when clearly it is plagued with MANY problems. But the whole point of it is the rehabilitation of poor choices and attitude and reintegration. After facing the consequence or punishment the child would resume life again with the skills and attitude to function in society, daily life and the family without repeating the bad actions.
What about you?
Prompt from Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts