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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To find this slightly disturbing?

179 replies

PrettyCandles · 18/04/2007 18:37

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."

OP posts:
wildwoman · 18/04/2007 19:07

I know someone who did the soap thing.

Tamum · 18/04/2007 19:07

It's a really awful taste if it's made very strong though, as bad as hot chillies.

quadrophenia · 18/04/2007 19:09

horse radish is lovely, i still don't get it?

wildwoman · 18/04/2007 19:09

was the child happy or sad when he made the comment iyswim

yellowrose · 18/04/2007 19:11

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

wildwoman · 18/04/2007 19:12

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

morningpaper · 18/04/2007 19:15

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.

deepinlaundry · 18/04/2007 19:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

quadrophenia · 18/04/2007 19:17

why not quite right, its horse radish?

deepinlaundry · 18/04/2007 19:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

nightowl · 18/04/2007 19:39

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 · 18/04/2007 19:46

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

deepinlaundry · 18/04/2007 19:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
PrettyCandles · 18/04/2007 21:33

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
PrettyCandles · 18/04/2007 21:36

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.

OP posts:
rabster · 18/04/2007 21:43

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.

quadrophenia · 18/04/2007 22:58

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.

Pannacotta · 18/04/2007 23:09

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 · 18/04/2007 23:13

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.

Greensleeves · 18/04/2007 23:20

TenaLady, I hope you're joking.

ScummyMummy · 18/04/2007 23:28

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

twinsetandpearls · 19/04/2007 00:28

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.

suzycreamcheese · 19/04/2007 00:37

tenalady..malt or balsamic?

tigermoth · 19/04/2007 07:24

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

TenaLady · 20/04/2007 14:35

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