Good parenting means creative discipline

A relative of mine decided to get creative when she was having a hard time correcting her son's behavior.

He was a compulsive thief. Not at the level of grand theft auto, but little things would go missing: his sister's toys, a box filled with coins, snacks and juice from the kitchen cabinet.

So one day she got fed up and told him that it's not good to steal, that thieves go to jail and she was calling the police. She asked him to go wait by the front door for his ride. Since then, he hasn't so much as picked up a lint ball from the floor without permission.

One mother made her son wash out his sheets, by hand in the bathtub, after he repeatedly wet the bed. Does that border on child abuse or is it simply teaching your child a lesson?

Maybe this will help you decide: The young boy never wet the bed when he spent the night at a family member's house, only when he was at home in the comfort of his own bed.

And here's the kicker: The bathroom is literally four steps from his bedroom door. Sounds like a case of laziness to me.

When necessary, I'm down for laying down a swat to the backside. When I was about 10, I consistently stole 10 and 20 dollar bills from a jar my parents had in their bedroom. Although I got an allowance, I used the pilfered loot to buy cakes from the corner store.

My dad gave me a good spanking, one that could make me cry days later just thinking about it. Back then, you could discipline your children without the fear of a state official knocking on your door.

When the movie "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" hit theaters, it made me think more about how some parents go too far and when they do, what help is available to their offspring.

My parents were raised in the south, where it wasn't uncommon for adults to send young offenders to the back yard to get a switch off a tree.

And if the neighbors saw you doing something wrong, you'd get a spanking from them. Then they brought you home to your parents where you had to endure round two.

On "The Cosby Show" the dad, Cliff Huxtable (comedian Bill Cosby), once cleared out his teenaged son's room to let him experience life in the "real world." Theo soon realized how good he had it at home.

Parents need to be given the leeway to do what they think is right to keep their child in line, be it an occasional spanking or a tour of the local jailhouse.

This is the opinion of Katrina T. Gathers.