Parents force ten year old to wear a sign proclaiming himself a thief.

http://m.upi.com/m/story/UPI-42131314088200/

In Australia, a mother forced her young son to sit in public wearing Shrek ears and a sign proclaiming him to be a 'thief.' Witnesses said the boy, who appeared to be about 10 years old. He spent nearly an hour Sunday sitting near a water park wearing the ears and the sign while his family ate lunch nearby. 'Do not trust me. I will steal from you as I am a thief,' the boy's sign read.

Do you think this was a good punishment, or too much of a humiliating spectacle? If your child stole something, would you consider doing this?

I think it depends on what he stole, and from whom.

Haven't some courts used this as a way to punish youth offenders? I know I read something about that, but can't find it online anywhere right now.

I don't know if I would do that personally for my son. I definitely wouldn't dream of it as punish for something he did for the first time. Maybe after he stole something, I would let him know that if there is a next time, I would do that. He would have to know prior that he has that coming if he messes up again.

I think it could do a lot of damage to a kid to be so humiliated like that. I wonder if it messes with self-esteem.

Don't know enough about it. The kid may really have sticky fingers and can't be trusted and the mother didn't want to resort to making him drink pepper sauce or he may have lifted a pack of gum once and she over reacted.

I think a more appropriate way to handle it would have the sign read "I stole" and list what he stole, concluding "I am a thief".

Too much of a sideshow. If my kid stole something, I'd handle it at home.

Impact wrote:Too much of a sideshow. If my kid stole something, I'd handle it at
home.

Impact wrote:Too much of a sideshow. If my kid stole something, I'd handle it at home.

What if they already tried that?