Posted on 10/02/2019 5:44:05 AM PDT by eccentric
My 8-year-old grandson plays with fire. On Sunday he set a tree on fire. I have NOT found any local programs to deal with this issue. Nor have I found any videos to show to children with this problem. His mother (my DIL) isn't interested in discipline.
I would appreciate any suggestions.
When my brother did this (umpteen years ago), a local fireman came out to speak with him, nicely, about the dangers of fire.
That seemed to work.
I would think a lot of boys at an early age play with matches. I did it as a kid and the only thing I burned was my hand so it was a lesson learned. Boys are also fascinated by fireworks and other stuff that blows up.
Young men like fire. It represents awesome power.
If there is a real man in the young man’s life, they can talk over the where, when and why. Then it can be used as a tool, not a toy.
Spankings. They tend to work.
if egregious such conduct warrants placing them in a juvenile home/school where they would receive proper supervision and therapy.
Pass laws to make the parents and/or guardians civilly liable for any damage done to life and property.
If its a one time event, proper discipline works.Lock up all fire starting/combustable materials, especially gasoline or similar liquid fuel.
Pyromania is a treatable mental condition for the young, not so treatable after the age of puberty.
She (DIL) had better get interested in discipline real quick. I will admit in my youth my buddy (guilty parties shall remain nameless) and I used to have a fascination with fire. Eventually this led to a grass/brush fire getting away from us requiring my parents help in putting it out. Our parents applied “old fashioned discipline” - you know, the kind of thing that is so out of fashion today. The message got through. After that we occasionally still fooled around with fire but under much more controlled circumstances having learned our lesson from some ah ... “negative feedback” that made sitting uncomfortable for quite some time. Although my parents were also very good at both praise, and expressing disappointment verbally too. Their disappointment in me when I’d screw up actually stung more than anything else.
Make him burn his favorite toys as punishment.
I got my ass beat and grounded.
If the child has liberal parents they can opt for a 24th trimester abortion.
Guilty. Corrected, I don’t do that no more.
Don’t patriarchal makes apply appropriate instruction and or corporal discipline any more?
A shrink, therapy? Juvy home? Really, I thought somehow I accidentally opened a dem left website by accident?
It takes a parent or uncle or grandfather to fix these issues in a youthful male, not village.
A couple of years, my nephew, who was about the same age, decided to poop in various parts of the house. Spanking was part of the punishment and he wasn't done it again since.
Are you looking for solutions with your DIL? If you are not, I’d solve that problem first, then work on other solutions.
Most fire stations & forestry service offices are more than willing to talk to a young man about the dangers of fire and the results that can come from it. Unfortunately, they also almost always have photos on hand to show what happens.
Contact your local fire dept and ask them for advice.
Keep him away from pets. See a child psychiatrist.
I was always told “ DON’T PLAY WITH MATCHES” and when that didn’t work I got swatted.
That worked.
I don’t know. Have your relative watch “Mindhunter” in Netflix.
It’s a show about how the behavioral department started in the FBI by interviewing serial killers about their acts and development.
Lots of the bad guys started fires or abused animals as kids.
Teach him about fire. Teach him about the dangers and the proper uses and then let him light an appropriate fire with supervision.
Show him pictures of burn victims and wildfires to show him how powerful and dangerous fire is.
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