fundies using exercise as punishment

[JaChelle Sugar]

I just found out that some fundies use exercise use as punishment, like having they're young kids do pushups of whatever so they 'dont have to hit them'.

On one hand, its not hiring them. On the other... What the fuck fundies, way to ruin your kid's relationship with exercise.

[Aggie2145]

I just found out that some fundies use exercise use as punishment, like having they're young kids do pushups of whatever so they 'dont have to hit them'.

On one hand, its not hiring them. On the other... What the fuck fundies, way to ruin your kid's relationship with exercise.

My parents never used corporal punishment, however my dad would often tell us to run a lap around the back yard as punishment. His logic was that if we were misbehaving, we needed to burn off some energy. However, my dad played college basketball and thought timeouts were useless. We turned out just fine.

[DGayle]

There's a difference between having your kids do ten pushups you know they can do, and telling them to drop and give you a hundred when you know a few is very hard.

When I think fundies and exercise as punishment, I think of that girl who was forced to exercise until she died. When I think of fundies grounding a kid, I think of those prayer closets they stick kids in. Fundies usually take things way, way too far.

[Trynn]

My fundy lite group... I'm sure you all know I was involved with campus (center for Adventist ministry to public university students) did this all the time.

Especially in their missionary training program... The amount of push-ups or laps or whatever you had to do depended on how many mistakes you made. Or how not clean your room was, or some stupid shit like that.

They did of to me while I was in canvassing, and I can't even do one nnon girl push-up (reason 6,432 I got labeled with having an attitude problem, along with refusing to jump in and out of moving vehicles.)

They also made the guy with a sprained ankle do lunges. I was going WTF at that one....

So glad to be free of all that!

[Mela99]

This makes me sick beyond sick. They seriously do not get what you can do to a small child if you push them physically...

Anybody remember this case? She lied about eating candy... so grandma and stepmom made her run until she had a seizure and died on the front lawn. I don't believe in the death penalty, but I wouldn't cry over either of them getting the chair.

cbsnews.com/news/grandmother-stepmother-charged-in-death-of-ala-girl-forced-to-run-as-punishment/

[Trynn]

I remember running was the punishment, but I don't remember what the child did to supposedly "deserve" that...

[Lillybee]

I have done some research on the Julian Youth Academy, and some of the students there stated that forcing exercise like running up staircases and hills was a usual punishment. That is when they weren't forced to dig 4' by 6' holes.

[Toothfairy]

I think people who send their kids for attachment therapy by quacks do this

[DGayle]

This makes me sick beyond sick. They seriously do not get what you can do to a small child if you push them physically...

Anybody remember this case? She lied about eating candy... so grandma and stepmom made her run until she had a seizure and died on the front lawn. I don't believe in the death penalty, but I wouldn't cry over either of them getting the chair.

cbsnews.com/news/grandmother-stepmother-charged-in-death-of-ala-girl-forced-to-run-as-punishment/

This is the exercised-to-death case I was talking about. :(

[Mitz_]

Hannah Williams mother told her to do jumping jacks just before she died in the back yard.

[polecat]

I just found out that some fundies use exercise use as punishment, like having they're young kids do pushups of whatever so they 'dont have to hit them'.

On one hand, its not hiring them. On the other... What the fuck fundies, way to ruin your kid's relationship with exercise.

I guess it depends on what's being done here. Living right off an athletic field (directly behind my back yard), I see plenty of coaches sending kids out to do laps when they have bad attitudes or whatever. And I've been known to send my kids out to bike/walk/scooter around the track when they're acting up (not directly misbehaving or anything -- just getting on my nerves/their brothers' nerves by whining, fidgeting, being cranky, trying to pick fights). And it works. It helps them burn off their energy and do something productive.

If a parent is making a kid do a bajillion jumping jacks for smarting off or being defiant or similar misbehaviors, I don't think that's a good thing. But teaching kids to channel their excess or negative energy into something healthy IS a good thing in my book. And I'll keep doing it.

[ViolaSebastian]

I guess it depends on what's being done here. Living right off an athletic field (directly behind my back yard), I see plenty of coaches sending kids out to do laps when they have bad attitudes or whatever. And I've been known to send my kids out to bike/walk/scooter around the track when they're acting up (not directly misbehaving or anything -- just getting on my nerves/their brothers' nerves by whining, fidgeting, being cranky, trying to pick fights). And it works. It helps them burn off their energy and do something productive.

If a parent is making a kid do a bajillion jumping jacks for smarting off or being defiant or similar misbehaviors, I don't think that's a good thing. But teaching kids to channel their excess or negative energy into something healthy IS a good thing in my book. And I'll keep doing it.

In my personal opinion, there's a world of difference between sending your kids outside to work off some energy/get them out of your hair and forcing them to exercise beyond their physical capabilities. I'm sure that you'd let them stop if they were showing signs of exhaustion or illness, and you certainly wouldn't make them exercise to the point of seizures or collapse.

[polecat]

In my personal opinion, there's a world of difference between sending your kids outside to work off some energy/get them out of your hair and forcing them to exercise beyond their physical capabilities. I'm sure that you'd let them stop if they were showing signs of exhaustion or illness, and you certainly wouldn't make them exercise to the point of seizures or collapse.

Yeah ... I noted that.

eta since apparently there was confusion: I don't force my kids to keep running/walking/biking/scooting laps on my timetable. They usually get out there, start moving and continue because it's fun. When they're ready to come back in, they come back in, usually laughing and happy and ready for a drink.

My first post was quite clear. But apparently not clear enough. Encouraging kids to burn off excess/negative energy through exercise instead of through unhealthy behaviors (bickering, TV, food) is a GOOD thing. Forcing kids to do excessive amounts of exercise for punishment is NOT a good thing.

@@.

[pink_chemist]

I don't see anything wrong with using exercise as a punishment as long as it's age appropriate and not excessive. Would I make my kids do 10 push-ups, jumping jacks, or a house lap for mouthing off? Heck yes! However, I would be doing it with them, and would discuss the behavior afterwards. It gives them a chance to focus their anger/tantrum somewhere else, do something that is good for their body, and hopefully make them rethink their actions when they feel like doing it again!

Obviously, there are extremes to this and children should never be forces to exercise excessively. I could never imagine making my child run, watching them in distress, and not stopping it. Those people are sick!

[ViolaSebastian]

Yeah ... I noted that.

eta since apparently there was confusion: I don't force my kids to keep running/walking/biking/scooting laps on my timetable. They usually get out there, start moving and continue because it's fun. When they're ready to come back in, they come back in, usually laughing and happy and ready for a drink.

My first post was quite clear. But apparently not clear enough. Encouraging kids to burn off excess/negative energy through exercise instead of through unhealthy behaviors (bickering, TV, food) is a GOOD thing. Forcing kids to do excessive amounts of exercise for punishment is NOT a good thing.

@@.

I apologize, polecat. There was no confusion--I think that sending your kids out for some exercise and fresh air is a great idea. I was just reiterating your point. I'm sorry.

[EmmieJ]

I definitely think the issue is one of proportion and rationality, and fundies often seem to be lacking in both areas.

Two children aren't enough - gotta keep pushing them out until your uterus (and you) collapse.

Your child misbehaved by acting his/her age - break out the plumbing line!

I had a friend in college who was one of 9 kids (Catholic family). She said that when they would act up, her mother would tell them to run laps around the house. It usually had the desired effect of tiring them out enough so they didn't have the same level of energy to smart mouth to their mom for awhile. Their mom didn't make them run for hours - it was probably anywhere from 3 to 5 laps around the house. Just enough to make her point and burn off the excess energy of whichever child was in trouble. So the punishment was appropriate (proportional to the "crime") and rational vs. vindictive and cruel.

One of the many problems I have with extreme fundies is that they seem to look for misbehavior so they can have an excuse to punish their kids. Almost anything except immediate blind obedience (with a smile on your face no less) to any order given by your parents, is considered grounds for punishment. They see sin around every corner and even lurking in the heart of infants. It's sick.

[polecat]

I apologize, polecat. There was no confusion--I think that sending your kids out for some exercise and fresh air is a great idea. I was just reiterating your point. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have been so snippy.

[Trynn]

When I was in a one room church school and we had too much energy, we would ask the teacher if we could run around the building a few times.

She would agree, and we would run around, come back in when we were ready, and focus.

[Maggie Mae]

I was often assigned laps by coaches for bad attitude, or not trying, or mouthing off, whatever. I don't think it created a "bad relationship with exercise" at all. But this is one of those "punishments" where it might not be a punishment for some kids. I know that lots of parents, fundies and non fundies alike, assign pushups to kids. Fundies, however, are more likely to only assign them to boys, which is dumb. Anyway, like all methods of discipline, it can be extreme and injure the child.

[blisterine]

Scientologists in the Narc-anon (maybe Nar-Anon, can't remember) drug recovery program are required to run until they are ready to pass out, take a hot sauna and repeat as needed. This is supposed to detoxify the body and draw out every drug you have ever taken, even Novacain. You are told you will experience the same effects you got from the drugs as each toxin leaves your body. I think you are just light headed. They also only allow you to eat fruits and vegetables.

Of course, anything Scientology costs big bucks. This was like 20K-30K for a 6 week program.

Fundies will just run you ragged for free!

[RosyDaisy]

Anybody familiar with the case of Savannah Hardin. Her grandmother and step-mother made her run until she collapsed as punishment for telling a lie.

Here's a link to articles about the case:

http://topics.al.com/tag/Savannah%20Hardin/index-2.html

And of all things Savannah's father has filed a malpractice lawsuit against the hospital (WTF???):

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/201 ... /140229992

I don't think they are fundie, just fucking monsters who should be locked up for the rest of their lives.

ETA: I think this is the case Mella99 was referring to.

[JaChelle Sugar]

Yeah, I get that sometimes it might be reasonable but as punishment, that seems like a bad idea sure to mess up the kids relationship with exercise. And dome seven year old kid expected to drop and do 20 or whatever, that gives me a bad feeling.

[Maggie Mae]

Yeah, I get that sometimes it might be reasonable but as punishment, that seems like a bad idea sure to mess up the kids relationship with exercise. And dome seven year old kid expected to drop and do 20 or whatever, that gives me a bad feeling.

A 7 year old should be able to do 8-10 pushups. Some kids would gladly take that "punishment" over, say, a time out. At least the kid is doing something and then it's over. Time Out seems to last forever. Obviously different kids have different needs.

[Aurora rising]

My mum did the same to my brother and me- our energy was way too high (and still is - if I don´t work out enough, I´m getting in a really bad mood). My niece is the same and we all love sports and work-outs.

Sensible parents know what their children can do. But fundies are normally not very sensitive.... :cry:

[2xx1xy1JD]

Ignoring physical signs of distress can be really harmful - you can make an injury worse, have kids with dehydration or even have kids suddenly drop dead after exercising in the heat.

I'm also not crazy about creating an "exercise = punishment" mindset. If a kid doesn't like exercise, this will turn them off of it completely. If they do like exercise, it's not a punishment so what's the point?

I will agree that exercise as punishment is completely different from proactive sending restless kids outside. Some kids just have energy to burn. My sister used to run up and down several flights of stairs for fun. (She leads exercise classes and is a personal trainer today, no surprise.) With my son and his friends, I learned that getting them to run around was a good way to stop them from getting into trouble and to keep their attention.