11 January 2014 - QA 2

In my culture (in Paraguay), it is common that when a child misbehaves, parents punish them. Is it not some form of abuse or violence? What do you feel about this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Parents should, I won’t use the word punish, but discipline the children, within some limitations. It should not be in excess.
There is a difference between discipline and punishment. You can’t be violent and justify it as disciplining. At the same time, you cannot brand everything as an abuse and not discipline a child at all. Tomorrow that child will hold you responsible for not teaching it when it was young.
So, there is discipline, and one step away from discipline is punishment, and then abuse, or being violent with the child. Violence should be condemned. At no cost should anyone be violent with children because then they become so immune to that, and they become violent.

So many criminal acts in the society can be attributed to the parental violence at home. The way they treated their children
At home, when you raise children, sometimes you should raise your eyebrow (meaning to show anger) at the kids. You should discipline them. Then they become very good citizens.

Just imagine in the classroom, if the teacher just leaves the children free to do what they want, and does not discipline them; there is not even that little fear of being punished, the children will be so wild and uncontrollable! And when they grow up, they will say, why did you bring me up like this? Why didn’t you tell me what is good and what is not good when I was a child. They will ask this question.
So, I would say, discipline them first, and as a second step, punish them if at all it is necessary; once in a way. But that’s it, stop there. Never be violent with the kids.