Saucing

Lisa - posted on 12/14/2011

I remember watching the news back when I was little- a parent did that and the little girl died because her tongue swelled up and she couldn't breathe. The parent's went to JAIL- which is where they belong.

Maree - posted on 12/13/2011

I get that children need discipline sometimes.I totally get it although i've never really used it... I had an only child for 10 years and was single so my son rarely needed discipline as he had my undivided attention.
When he did need discipline i found much better ways than hurting him as punishment and he is a very happy well adjusted 11 year old who still very rarely requires discipline,i don't actually remember the last time he was in trouble.
Anyway my point is that i wouldn't like to be doing to a child,anything that i would not do to my husband or any other person.
If a child is too young to reason with,time out is fine or restraining them if they are lashing out...but i just feel very uncomfortable with teaching a child to hurt people by hurting THEM..
I know it's easy for me to say,having only had the one child until recently but i just don't understand how people are ok with physically hurting a child whether it's hitting them or with hot sauce. When my son was being naughty and pissing me off,before i did something i'd regret i always pictured my husband doing to me what i felt like doing to my son...that always stopped me (my husband never hurt me of course but the thought was enough to stop me before i did something i'd regret).
I feel for mums who have a few kids or challenging kids...it would be so hard and annoying when people tell them they should discipline in other ways...that's why i'm not going to say flat out that what they are doing is wrong but i don't think i will ever understand how they put sauce in a kids mouth...sit and watch them in pain and not end up in tears themselves !!!!!!

April - posted on 12/13/2011

Absoulutely abusive.

Charlie - posted on 12/13/2011

It's vile ...... how torturing a child isnt abusive is beyond me.

Kate CP - posted on 12/13/2011

I still don't understand why hurting a child should be the intended goal when trying to discipline them?

Krista - posted on 12/13/2011

Yeah. It's just not something I'd ever have in my parenting bag of tricks. A little smear of your average grocery-store hot sauce on the tongue? I don't know if it's abusive, per se, but it just rubs me the wrong way -- I'm not a fan of disciplining kids by way of physical discomfort.

Plus, like spanking, there are always some parents who just take it too damn far, and either do the "mouthful" of sauce, or they're stupid and use a hot sauce which can really damage. My husband was making chili, and had some Dave's Insanity Sauce to add to it. A tiny bit on the end of a toothpick was enough to heat up the entire pot of chili. Our friend Scott, not realizing how hot the sauce was, dipped the tines of a fork in the dish of sauce and licked it.

Scott does NOT swear.

But that day, he uttered the foulest curses known to man, crying and wheezing the entire time.

And I just worry that some dipshit is going to hear about saucing, and think, "That's a GREAT idea!" and won't think to actually test the sauce themselves first to see how hot it is.

Sherri - posted on 12/12/2011

Because kids typically still don't like it Krista and it is still uncomfortable and nasty for most. Now mind you I am not one that uses this practice. However, from others that I have seen and witnessed this is the case.

Stifler's - posted on 12/12/2011

Yeah I agree if it's not hurting them how is it going to deter them from doing it again? Just tapping them isn't teaching them anything if they can run off and play unscathed.

Krista - posted on 12/12/2011

So if it's so harmless, no worse than a little taste of hot sauce on your food....


Why is it being used as a punishment?

Julianne - posted on 12/12/2011

You mean saucing the punishment.

Sherri - posted on 12/12/2011

Saucing the actually discipline method (not the abuse saucing as described in some posts) is only one or two drops so basically the same thing as a taste. Hot saucing is not meant to hold a mouth full in your mouth for any length of time.

Krista - posted on 12/10/2011

@Krista what would be the difference then in having your child tasting hot things and then finding out they had an allergic reaction really there is no difference. There is a chance they could have a reaction eating it in everyday life then too, should it just be banned completely in case someone has a reaction to it?

Because normally, if a child tastes something hot, they only have a dab of it.

They're not holding a mouth full of hot sauce, while distressed (and probably crying), for a pre-determined period of time, while not allowed to spit out the hot sauce when the discomfort becomes unbearable.

I would think that with the latter, you have a much higher chance of respiratory distress, if nothing else. What if the kid, while crying and upset, aspirates some of the hot sauce?

Jen - posted on 12/09/2011

It's utterly messed up and I consider it torture. Some peopel can eat habenero peppers (volunarily) and not turn a hair. For me, I would be in the ER. We all react to it differently. This makes no sense.

Julianne - posted on 12/09/2011

I think anything a parent does to their child to deliberately cause harm is abuse. Hot saucing is torturous for those who can't handle hot foods. I don't think any child needs to be punished, plenty of positive ways to teach a child right from wrong exist. Kids only do wrong because they don't know the difference, why punish someone because they didn't know any better?
Soap is worse in my opinion. It was a form of punishment my mother used, except she would grind the bar of soap along my teeth. It would be embedded in my teeth so deep no matter how much I brushed I could still taste it for days.

Teresa - posted on 12/09/2011

'Harbor'... not me. Never considered it. I have a few friends who have used soap w/ their kids. I still love my friends, but I HATE hearing about the use of soap as 'punishment'. I think I've only heard it 2-3 times (in people I know), but I've cringed every time. :(

I think my girls having kids half their age cussing at them and threatening to beat them up has turned them off of swearing completely. Not that they ever HAVE though... We just talk about the words and explain why we don't use them in our family.

Sherri - posted on 12/09/2011

@Krista what would be the difference then in having your child tasting hot things and then finding out they had an allergic reaction really there is no difference. There is a chance they could have a reaction eating it in everyday life then too, should it just be banned completely in case someone has a reaction to it?

Kate CP - posted on 12/09/2011

I fail to see how making a kid eat or taste anything would prevent them from swearing. Just like I don't see how slapping them would keep them from swearing.

You know what keeps a kid from swearing?
a) don't teach them how to swear
b) give them different words to use

~♥Little Miss - posted on 12/09/2011

No matter how much any of us may disagree with saucing being labeled as abuse, or NOT....I am wondering who of you find this to be a reasonable punishment? Who has toyed with the idea to use hot items to teach their child not to swear, or correct other undesired actions? Who has actually done it?

I remember a mother in here who has...and she used every excuse in the world to why it was a great idea.

Krista - posted on 12/08/2011

Amanda, what part of my post did you not read? People can actually die from hot sauce, if they have a reaction to it.

Personally, I don't see the particular hilarity in a punishment that holds a risk, no matter how small, of killing a child.

Stifler's - posted on 12/08/2011

I got detergent in my mouth somehow once... I also felt quite sick from trying to get it off my tongue with water it went al through my mouth. Gross.

Sherri - posted on 12/08/2011

Well as a kid I was forced to eat a bar of soap once. Learned 100% from that lesson and never did it again so it certainly worked for me.

When my older two were young I did threaten with soap in their mouths and only did it once with my oldest. I have now found other ways that work better and have never did it with my youngest.

Debb - posted on 12/08/2011

I got bar soap, dish washing liquid and dishwasher detergent as punishment (yes, I know...HEY MOM, THERE IS BLEACH IN THE DISHWASHER KIND, DUH!!). Freakin' hated it!!! And I never learned anything from it, except that I was convinced my mom was torturing me. I'm certain that if hot sauce had occurred to her, she'd have used it. I also had to eat beets or cooked spinach for breakfast if I failed to eat my dinner the night before. Seriously, random punishments.

Teresa - posted on 12/08/2011

I had a very small accidental lick of dish soap once (don't ask) and w/ as sick as it made me feel..... Yeah, putting anything in a child's mouth in the name of punishment is not ok in my mind. That stupid accident cemented it into my head. I'd never want to do anything to my child that could possibly risk making them feel like that. Although my girls DID used to eat the bar of soap in the shower as toddlers..... lol

Minnie - posted on 12/08/2011

Hmm...I don't think it's a different topic. Oh well.

Sherri - posted on 12/08/2011

Lisa I think that is a totally different topic and will hijack this thread, if people even start going there.

Minnie - posted on 12/08/2011

Abuse.

Look, people. This is a plant toxin. What else would those of you who don't think this is abuse stick in your child's mouth?

Personally, I have quite a reaction to capsaicin.

Sherri - posted on 12/08/2011

To me there are extremes to everything when I hear hot saucing it is the normal hot sauce from the grocery store and you put one or two drops on the tongue and no you do not make them hold it. - Now I have already stated I never did it but do not think this type of discipline is abuse.



Now what Harpor is referring too yes in that case I find that abuse and is the extreme. Just like their is a spank which is not abuse and a beating which is.

Hope - posted on 12/08/2011

Hot sauce is serious. I see it as worse then smacking.
Pain from hot sauce would last for a lot longer then a quick smack on the bottom.

Stifler's - posted on 12/08/2011

I'm confused. Putting hot sauce in a kid's mouth IS serious.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 12/08/2011

Ok, hold up here. I have not read through all the comments yet. but seriously folks. This saucing isn't JUST about hot sauce in a childs mouth....sometimes it is real peppers cut up. I would love to see anyone of you that thinks this is not child abuse have hot peppers being held on your tongue as a punishment. Or, dumping an obscene amount of hot sauce in your mouth and see how you feel about it them. I am confident you will see it as torture. Infact, my MIL is Mexican and has tought me how to make REAL hot sauce, and REAL Chile sauce, and Salsa. I DARE you to take my stuf and leave it on your tongue. Pretty sure your taste buds will be scorched for a week holding it in your mouth like that....and I am one to LOVE hot stuff....but I certainly would not be able to hold a mouthful in my mouth without chewing and swallowing to ease the burn. AND, I am use to super hot shit.

Jodi - posted on 12/08/2011

Well, in that case, I suppose it's okay to beat the shit out of my kids, because there are worse things that can be done to a child. There are people out there who kill their kids, so beating the crap out of them isn't that bad when put into context.



And Amanda, you don't know me, so please don't tell me how seriously I do or don't take life and whether I make light of things or not. Just because I genuinely didn't understand what you and Niki found so funny about this particular topic doesn't give you the right to think you know anything about me. So let's lay off the personal comments, shall we?

Amanda - posted on 12/08/2011

The LOL is because I dont take life as seriously as you do Jodi. Life is way to short to take everything so seriously, its actually ok to make light of things. I also LOL because I knew the "PC" parents would all be over this thread like rabbid dogs screaming abuse.



I know that I survived soap in my mouth, in no way do I feel I was abused when this was done to me as a child. Though I will admit I refuse to eat soap as an adult LOL. Come on theres a lot worse things that can be done to a child.



Though I dont agree with hot sauce as like someone pointed out, for many people it does hurt.

Jennifer - posted on 12/07/2011

I also had to 'qualify' to carry pepper spray, and my husband accidently sprayed me once(he got himself too). You do build a 'tolerance', although the pain is just as bad, the adreniline stops having the same affect on you so you stop acting like a nut. I absolutly think it's abuse. It affects everyone differently, and it can burn all the way through! Two of my kids can't even tolerate 'mild' salsa. My mom use to 'wash our mouth out', and I'd still choose that over hot sauce!

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 12/07/2011

Hahahaha so true :)

Jodi - posted on 12/07/2011

There's not a debate around, I don't think, that hasn't been done to death :D

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 12/07/2011

It's funny to have this debate all over again, Jodi. I just thought this was old news by now. I've seen it around CoM a LOT.

Tam - posted on 12/07/2011

You may be correct, Jodi. I'm no expert on the subject and the most experience I have in that arena is those on the security force who were pepper sprayed along with me. In the past three years I'd been associated with the qualification, none of us had a reaction beyond the expected superficial skin and eye irritation.

Normally, though, a few drops won't have that sort of reaction. That is what I'm assuming is the subject here.

Still, I still believe it is not something one should do to a child. There are other ways of discipline that get the point across yet do not incite the sensation of burning.

Jodi - posted on 12/07/2011

Actually, Tam, one third of ADULTS have a physical reaction to capsaicin. Perhaps not an allergic reaction, but a reaction just the same. So it is common to have a physical reaction to it.

Tam - posted on 12/07/2011

Capsaicin is not fun when used as a punishment. The substance itself doesn't actually burn you physically, yet emulates the sensation. Most exposure does not actually result in swollen tissue unless there is a degree of allergy involved. But a child wont know that.

I've never agreed with soap in the mouth and to be honest, this is the first I've actually heard of forcing a person to ingest something like a sauce or a food as a punishment without it being an illustration of actual abuse.

When I worked security on base, one of the things we had to do was qualify to carry OC spray, or Oleoresin Capsicum. Military grade pepper spray. That stuff is not fun and it takes over 30 hours to fully decontaminate. Even before then, I'd have never forced another human being to endure that intense sensation without consent, and afterward, I almost feel sorry for the criminals who have it applied through their own actions.

In short, no, children should not endure that pain, even though most of it is simply sensation without actual damage.

Sherri - posted on 12/07/2011

I didn't but no I don't think it is child abuse.

Becky - posted on 12/07/2011

I think it's abusive and I would never do it to my child. Spicy food gives me heartburn, so if my children react the same way, I would be punishing them for hours after the initial punishment. I can't think of any "crime" that that would a fitting punishment for.

Sylvia - posted on 12/07/2011

No, I have certainly never done this and never would. It's mean (unless your kid likes really hot foods, in which case, well...) and it's stupid on a couple of levels -- kids have very sensitive taste buds (among other things) and it could seriously hurt them; using food to punish children is never a good idea; and, yeah, they could have an allergic reaction and die. (There's a wide variety of things that kids *could* be allergic too, there's no way you could ever avoid them all and it would be stupid to try, but it's equally stupid to pretend that the pain inflicted by hot sauce isn't the whole point for people who do this to their kids.)

Admittedly, as an edible substance, hot sauce is at least preferable to soap. That doesn't make it a good idea.

Elfrieda - posted on 12/07/2011

No, that's mean and scary for the child. I wouldn't do it.

On the other hand, I have given my toddler lemons, hot salsa, mustard, etc, just to see the look on his face! Heeheehee.... he likes lemons and salsa and always wants more, despite all his funny faces, but he hates the mustard.

September - posted on 12/07/2011

Personally I view it as abuse and no I would never do that to my precious child!

Teresa - posted on 12/07/2011

Disgusting. Yes, I think it's abuse. Either your kid likes hot sauce and it would be an ineffective approach... or they hate it and it would be torture. Either way... it's stupid.

Rebecca - posted on 12/07/2011

I don't know that I would say it rises to the level of abuse, but I definitely think it's poor parenting. Why would you intentionally want to hurt your child?

Kate CP - posted on 12/07/2011

Yes, it's abuse. Capsaicin can be very dangerous.

Rachael - posted on 12/07/2011

i think it would really depend on the situation. it's kind of like how they used to wash kids mouths out with soap. i wouldn't agree with using it as a primary means of punishment, but if you've tried other things and nothing is working i don't see a problem with it.

Krista - posted on 12/07/2011

I think it's absolutely abusive, and potentially very dangerous.

Carleton Kendrick, a family therapist from Boston, MA, recommends against the use of hot saucing. He said that it can burn the child's esophagus and cause their tongue to swell. This can create a potential choking hazard. He said:

"There are many different kinds of hot sauce on the market, and parents who say they know the dilution to use so it won't sting, or say they only use one drop, are wrong. It's done because it hurts. It stings. It burns. It makes you nauseous."

Giorgio Kulp, a pediatrician in Montgomery County, VA, says that the use of hot sauce on children is dangerous because of the risk of swelling and the possibility of triggering unknown allergies. He notes that "Every child's reaction, physically, is different." So it might be safe for one child but not another.

An associated method of inflicting pain on children is the force feeding of hot-peppers. Two child psychologists reported that this "can result in anaphylaxis or cause significant burns and damage to developing tissues in the mouth, esophagus, intestinal walls, stomach, and colon."

If your kid could actually, physically DIE because of the punishment you're inflicting...then that should be a sign that you're doing something wrong.

Debb - posted on 12/07/2011

Is this the same episode where she subsequently placed him in an ice cold shower?

I watched that episode one day and was nearly in tears. That little boy was far too young to understand those punishments, come to think of it I didn't even understand those punishments.

But, she admitted that she gets "so angry" and I really believe that any punishment inflicted while enraged is going too far. These are our children, not our enemies. Punishment should befit the crime and should be carried out with love and a clear purpose, otherwise it's useless.