To find this slightly disturbing?

[PrettyCandles]

When talking about foods to a group of Year 1 children, I mentioned horseradish and one of the children said "I know what horseradish is! My mum gives it me when I'm naughty."

[Twiglett]

ask yourself

1. how would you feel if you were the child
   
2. what will happen if you do nothing
   
3. what would you wnat to happen if it was your child
   
   then consider whether you'd mention to someone

[JodieG1]

Scummymummy I agree, it's very calculating that's what makes it worse. It's not like something said or done in the heat of the moment or in a reaction but to go and get horseradish and then use it as a punishment is [shsock].

Don't agree with anyone doing that to a child for any reason, including vinegar, it's just a form of child cruelty imvho.

[hana]

you know, I had my mouth washed out with soap as a child , and sometimes with tabasco sauce - completely degrading tenalady, there are other ways to discipline
how awful for your child

[TenaLady]

Malt vinegar

[TenaLady]

Nope, not joking. If all else fails I threaten with a drop of vinegar on his tongue, you should see him run!

The alternative is a thrashing with a horse whip!

You choose

[tigermoth]

Nasty way of punishing, I agree. I think you should keep a close watch on things and report the comment to the teacher.

[suzycreamcheese]

tenalady..malt or balsamic?

[twinsetandpearls]

I have to admit that when teaching am RE lesson in which we were acting out the passover when an awful horrid boy who had bullied several members of my form all year and reduced a new teacher to a breakdown kept grabbing bits of food from people's plates and generally trying to ruin what could have been a lovelly lesson... sorry am digressing.

Anyway this boy grabbed a huge dollop of horseradish and said what does this taste like and I smiled and said why don;t you see as he swallowed a spoon ful of it and went very red.

[ScummyMummy]

Very obscure. I think it's a horrible way to punish a child. Very calculating and mean. Poor kid.

[Greensleeves]

TenaLady, I hope you're joking.

[quadrophenia]

I certainly agree that it is odd, and wouldn't advocate it myself, but I don't believe it merits informal chats with kids, i know my kids would be clued up enough to know if they were being questioned and hate the thought of a teacher doing this over a potentially lightheated comment.

[Pannacotta]

I also find it bit disturbing that a mother would give horseradish to her child as a means of punishment as am sure most kids would hate it - I certainly do, it makes me want to gag.
No idea re whether anything should be done though, very hard to say. But yes I think it does seem odd and rather harsh.

[quadrophenia]

what is wrong with having an informal chat with a child?
well unless you are particularly skilled this area a child can be very easily led in conversation so yes there is a great deal of harm. Yes you said your child your child announced he walked to school alone and the teacher spoke about it with you, not the child it is completely different IMO.

I think approaching a child about something they have raised in a light hearted discussion could actually be potentially distressing for the child and as i said earlier we are talking about horseradish here.

[rabster]

maybe for using bad language? my parents used to make me wash my mouth out with soap if I swore. Until I decided I liked it, and ate any soap I could get my hands on.
Mmmmm soap.

[PrettyCandles]

Sorry, last paragraph went wrong. Should have read:

The only thing I think I could do would be to report this statement to the teacher, but maybe giving the child horseradish is not a bad thing to do, just strange to me because I personally find it an odd and very old-fashioned punishment. That's why I'm trying to find out what others think of it.

[PrettyCandles]

I quite understand what deepinlaundry is getting at, but I'm not sure whether I do have the right to delve - or even if I would know how to. It's not as if there appears to be anything serious going on. The mum is well-known in the school community, and has an older child who was in this school as well. The younger one spoke directly to me, but in the presence of the entire class and some staff, so not hiding anything. The child was absolutely clear that it was horseradish, and spoke not in an accusing, dramatic, or confiding way, but completely matter-of-fact. Like I said, the mum is very strict and disciplinarian with the children - but that doesn't in any way imply that she's abusive.

The only thing I think I could do would be to report this statement to the teacher, but maybe it's a bad thing to do, just strange to me because I personally find it an odd and very old-fashioned punishment. That's why I'm trying to find out what others think of it.

[quadrophenia]

but there is no mention of physical force, I'm kind of a bit incredulous really.

[nightowl]

could he/she have meant a radish, on a salad for instance..perhaps he/she doesn't like radish and so mum tells him/her that he/she is naughty when its not eaten, that kind of thing?

dd, (a lot younger i know) but we were in the garden today and she came running up to me saying her little friend had smacked her. (the 100 request/comment, i was getting a bit fed up) i was busy painting so half heartedly took the easy route and said "tell we dont smack here and if she does it again she'll go home". i then heard dd repeat this to her friend and then tell her brother "i told that mummy smacks me...no...mummy says not to smack me".

[quadrophenia]

why not quite right, its horse radish?

[morningpaper]

I expect he tasted it once and she uses it as a threat

Or he's making it up

DD shouted in the supermarket "Please don't hit me mummy!" when I told her off - when she was THREE - and I don't know WHERE she got that from. I could have DIED from mortification.

[wildwoman]

becuase if he was smiling I doubt he has been scarred by it.

[yellowrose]

yeh, may be he meant horse meat ! now if the mother is french that would be a treat !