Soap in the mouth = Child Abuse?

Question

No one's every accused me, but I have put soap in my daughter's mouth when I feel it's the best tool. I HAVE seen it to be effective with her, I was just wondering about other's opinions.

i DID get soap in my mouth, and I am a VERY educated woman. I DO know that if you drink soap it will cause sickness. FIRST OF ALL it's a VERY small amount, she does not sit with a bar of soap in her mouth like some may be immaturly assuming. SECONDLY, she doesnt swallow this soap and it has never caused her to be sick. So for all you trying to hate and judge me, I'm sure you're obviously perfectr parents of your out of control children treating you like crap, but I, myself will NOT accept my child disrespecting me. And I DID get soap in my mouth for mouthing off to my parents, and I can honestly say it HELPED me and I knew I wasn't going to speak to my parents like that again. :)

if you guys can't read the entire question (quick to judge, but obviously can't read... hmmmm) then don't bother answering this question. Thank You!

Answer 1

First of all, this is not child abuse. As long as you are not leaving bruises, drawing blood, breaking bones or ridiculing them to the point that they can not function in society, then it is not abuse. Society has taught children to report child abuse. Although a necessary tool, it has also swung out of control. Parents do not know what they can or can not do to their children and it has taken away all their rights to discipline because they are fearful that if they punish, then they will lose their children to the state. That simply is not the case and you need to learn the laws in your state. If your teenage son calls you a whor*, then you have the right to slap his face. That is why children are so out of control and bringing guns to school etc. They have no discipline and no respect. There is something to be said about going out back to get a switch off a tree when you screw up. There is a huge correlation between the problems we have with our children today and the lack of physical discipline. You need to be their parent, not their friend. It's in the bible and anyone with any experience will tell you its effective. I have five children and all discipline is backed up with love. Washing out their mouths is neither abuse or unhealthy, since they are permitted to spit it out. Children need to accept consequences for their behavior or they will repeat it. A hug is not going to deter negative behavior. BUT always hug after the behavior to show that they are still loved but their behavior wasn't.

Answer 2

I'm very sorry to tell you, but soap has something called lye in it, which can lead to esophagus injuries and upper digestive burning.

This means that you are deliberately causing harm to your child by forcing a toxic substance into her mouth. Yes, that could be construed as child abuse in a court of law.

If your child is under the age of 3, it is especially wrong, because she does not even know the meaning of the word. She is learning language and is basically a human parrot. She doesn't know that this word is unacceptable, nor does she even know the meaning.

If your child is under the age of 5, she also doesn't understand why this type of word is probably very funny to her friends, but not funny to you or an authority figure.

A child needs to be taught that those words are wrong and why. You should teach your daughter that that type of word will hurt other people's feelings and that it hurts your feelings when she says them, and that you would appreciate it if she'd stop. It'd also be useful to ask her why she said that word, and what she thinks it means. Show her more affective ways of expressing anger or frustration.

Answer 3

I can not believe the hysteria here. It is an old punishment. It is acutally a fairly mild punishment--but I know for a fact as an ex-kid and Mom that it makes an impression.

The details you provided show you do it in a very safe way. I have done it a few times--and been impressed with the results. What I do is cut off a very small piece and have them chew it and hold it in their mouth for the duration of an egg timer. I watch the whole time. And then make sure they thouroughly wash out their mouth.

It looks as though people are more hysterical about this than they even get about spanking.

Answer 4

I remember getting that only once. However, putting soap in a child's mouth is nothing compared to this one time I was told about. Apparently when I was two, I said a bad word that I had heard from someone, and my aunt made me drink hot sauce. Two years old.

Soap is nothing. Just as long as you're not making her drink gallons of it. People need to chill out. Everything is considered "abuse" now. Soon, time outs are going to be "abuse". Then maybe not giving your child anything and everything he or she wants, will be considered abuse.

Answer 5

I don't think it's abuse, but it's certainly not the best way to go. Soap contains a lot of chemicals that are not edible. It could make your daughter very sick. You might also cause her to be a bit bitter towards you about it.

There are many other ways to prevent your daughter from saying things she shouldn't, and the number one is that if you say it yourself, you need to stop that behaviour since kids learn best from example. You can remove privileges, use time-outs, etc., and dare I say it, even a swat on the behind if need be (I don't believe spanking is abuse, but I don't think it should be used as a regular form of discipline. I also believe that parents should never allow the situation with their children to get so out of hand to warrant spanking).

Answer 6

Do you know what the ingredients are in soap? Its not meant to go in your mouth for a reason. It is not an appropriate tool for punishment. Maybe you need to watch Nanny 911 for some new discipline techniques. Would you ever eat soap? That is just cruel!
I don't think these ingredients are meant for human consumption

Triclocarban 0.78%
Sodium cocoate, sodium palm kernelate, sodium palmate, sodium tallowate, water, coconut acid, palm acid, Tallow acid, kPEG-6 methyl ether, fragrance, glycerin sorbitol, sodium chloride, pentasodium pentetate, tetrasodium etidronate, titanium dioxide.

THERE IS ALSO A WARNING ON THE LABEL " Keep out of the reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a poison control center right away"

If she is cursing, think about where she learned it from, probably her parents. would you eat soap? And if you could read and are as educated as you say you are then you would know not to put soap in a child's mouth due to the warning label. Even if it is a small amount it is still harmfull to a small child. I used to work in a hospital, and have seen many parents come through the ER with there children with the "I didn't know" look on their face, mose times social services is called. Just because it was done to us when we were younger, does that mean you should continue the cycle. There are more appropriate ways of disciplining your child. So if you don't know them, then you are not as educated or as smart as you claim. Try reading some parenting books or go to classes, then come and tell us that you are an educated person. Maybe you are but not in parenting.
And due to the overwealming response of people saying that it is wrong, maybe you should rethink what you are doing. And if you don't want to be dumped on, don't ask us a question, we are not being mean, we are telling you what is in our hearts and what we believe is right from wrong!

Answer 7

Putting the soap bar in their mouth for just a second, so the yucky taste lingers a bit to make them remember the yuckiness of their language is not child abuse.

.......now making the child eat soap would be child abuse

Some kids will learn with little measures...others need alot of creative parenting. Make the consequence relate to the misbehaviour. I see no harm in a wee bit of soap taste for the child who doesnt stop using bad language when typical forms of discipline (ie time out) doesnt stop it

Answer 8

It seems that your questioning your self if you believe in that form of punishment why would you care about anyone else's opinion? Did you like when your parents put soap in your mouth and if you have done it more than once it's obviously not that effective.

Answer 9

I don't see anything wrong with putting a bar of soap in a childs mouth. Just make sure they understand why. When I was younger and I talked back to my mom she put soap in my mouth and I eventually learned.

Answer 10

You can beat anyone enough times and they will do what you want eventually, and im not talking about just children, adults as well. My feeling is that that kind of discipline doesn't do anything to help your child understand anything other than that if she/he doesn't stop some unpleasant consequence will occur. I know that were only talking about soup in a child's mouth but the more important question you should ask yourself is "is this helping my child to understand why it is objectable to me." The better approach is to use positive reinforcement. The results are not immediate but they are long lasting and you feel better as well.
Catch your child doing something you like and let them know it often and you will be amazed at how powerful that kind of communication is.(adults as well). They are just looking for attention as are all of us and getting you angry is attention good or bad. Don't forget punishment like that loose there benefits quickly and you are forced to escalate it after a short time to get the same results.talk loud... yell....yell louder... don't get caught in that cycle... sorry for the novel but it is an important subject...........