Parents: How do you feel about grounding as a punishment?

[bluestateguy]

I see TV parents grounding their kids all the time. I can't remember one time when my parents did it to me. One or two times they forbade me from going out (when I was 15 they forbade me from going to a co-ed sleepover at someone's house because there would not be any parents there), but I don't recall ever being grounded as punishment.

One has to ask if grounding is really much of a punishment with real teeth anymore. If I was a kid in a middle class home today, I don't think being grounded would be all that bad: cell phones, cable TV, internet, video games, etc. Does this form of punishment really work anymore? Do you use it?

[Left Is Write]

1. I'm only in favor of it if the "crime" involved breaking a curfew or

sneaking out of the house. The natural consequence would then be not being allowed to go out.

I'm not in favor of grounding as a fallback punishment for all types of infractions. I don't think it's terribly effective, and it's almost a worse punishment for the parent!

[Z_I_Peevey]

2. Depends on the kid.

Grounding works like a charm on my social butterfly teenager. Wouldn't have done a thing for the oldest daughter, who spent most of her time in her room anyway.

But "grounding," to me means loss of phone and computer, as well as being stuck at home.

[Ariana Celeste]

4. you're right

with me and my brother, grounding meant no phone, no tv, no cd player, and staying home

which was hell for my brother. but for some reason my mom never thought to take my books away. i just read the whole time. sucked that i couldn't use the phone, but i knew i'd see my friends at school the next day.

what worked on me was frank discussions about how my actions affected others. it took a long time for my mom to realize that. lol.

[seemunkee]

3. grounded for 6 weeks for getting a D

in middle school. That was a looooong 6 weeks.
We've grounded our daughter for weekends at a time for not doing things she was supposed to do.

[lakemonster11]

5. I've never heard of anyone being grounded

but allowed to use "cell phones, cable TV, internet, video games, etc."

[xmas74]

6. I do forbid my child to watch tv when she has not

completed her chores(like cleaning her room). She's never been officially grounded yet.
I, OTOH, spent most of my high school career grounded for something or another(got home five minutes late from a date-not my fault, a B+ in trig-Mom never even took it, etc). It didn't work for me. I just waited until they were asleep and snuck out my bedroom window.

[William Bloode]

7. If you remove all privileges,

grounding( we call it restriction)as mentioned no phone, t.v., video games, or computer(unless school related). This works so well for my kids that they will actually ask to be whipped, they will beg for it in fact. Won't work though i don't like whipping my kids unless it's the only choice left to me. In other words if the are totally insubordinate and refuse to go with punishments given, and totally out of hand.

[jeff30997]

8. I say: Whips and Chains.Look how well it worked with Junior.