# Using hot sauce to discipline children?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 10, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260 "2004-08-10T21:10:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/1 "2004-08-10T21:10:07Z")
So what’s the latest unusual punishment for children? “Hot saucing.” That is, applying hot sauce to a child’s tongue for punishment. Article here, from the Washington Post: [**Feeling the Heat: Some Parents Apply Hot Sauce to a Child’s Tongue as Punishment. The Practice Has Some Experts Burning.**](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52899-2004Aug9.html) Here are some excerpts from the article: > [@](#): > > Hot sauce adds a kick to salsa, barbeque, falafel and hundreds of other foods. But some parents use it in a different recipe, one they think will yield better-behaved children: They put a drop of the fiery liquid on a child’s tongue as punishment for lying, biting, hitting or other offenses. > > “Hot saucing,” or “hot tongue,” has roots in Southern culture, according to some advocates of the controversial disciplinary method, but it has spread throughout the country. Nobody keeps track of how many parents do it, but most experts contacted for this story, including pediatricians, psychologists and child welfare professionals, were familiar with it. > > …… > > The use of hot sauce has been advocated in a popular book, in a magazine for Christian women and on Internet sites. Web-based discussions on parenting carry intense, often emotional exchanges on the topic. _(Pitter’s note: I should add here that the author of the popular book “Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline” is the actress who played Blair on The Facts of Life. :dubious: )_ > > But parents aren’t the only ones asking “to sauce or not to sauce?” Several state governments have gotten involved in the debate. In Michigan in 2002, a child care center was sanctioned for using hot sauce to discipline a child. The mother of the 18-month-old boy reportedly gave the child care workers permission to use the sauce to help dissuade her son from biting other children. > > …… > > Parents who use hot sauce say that such tactics as timeouts, lectures, negotiation or restricting certain pleasures have not worked. For them, hot sauce – or even the threat of it – stops undesirable behavior. “It works like a charm,” DeLorme said. [One of the hot-saucing mothers.] > > DeLorme remembers being “at the point where I would try anything” with her 2 1/2-year old son, whom she described as “a disciplinary challenge.” She learned about the use of hot sauce from a friend. > > She now uses the pepper sauce, or the threat of it, when her son hits or bites his 5-year-old sister. > > “He is better behaved as a result,” DeLorme said. “He’ll say, ‘Please don’t give me hot tongue, Mommy,’ and [the threat] interrupts his behavior. We’ll talk about it, hug and make up. That’s what usually happens.” > > In those rare instances when the threat is not enough, DeLorme pries his mouth open and puts one drop of sauce on her son’s tongue. “I don’t feel like I am physically hurting him,” said DeLorme, who described herself as “opposed to spanking and physical violence.” > > …… > > As for parents who disapprove, “Walk a mile in my shoes first,” Crosen said.[Another hot saucing mother.] “What I’m doing is minor compared to what kids used to get 40 or 50 years ago. One drop of hot sauce is not going to hurt him. Everyone has to do what works for them, within reason.” > > …… > > Pediatricians, psychologists and experts on child care and family life contacted for this story strongly recommend against the practice. > > Kendrick [one of the experts] says parents who use the technique are “at the very least . . . ill-informed.” He pointed out that many parents are not aware that hot sauce can burn a child’s esophagus and cause the tongue to swell – a potential choking hazard. > > Capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, inflames membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth. While many adults find this feeling pleasurable, capsaicin can cause negative reactions even in the third of the adult population that has no tolerance for ingesting it, according to Joel Gregory, publisher of Chile Pepper magazine. > > There are additional risks for children. Giorgio Kulp, a pediatrician in Montgomery County, said that the risk of swelling as well as the possibility of unknown allergies make the use of hot sauce on children dangerous. So, what do y’all think?? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/2 "2004-08-10T21:12:41Z")
I think any moron that thinks this is a good idea should be hot sauced themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Middlea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@Middlea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Middlea)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/3 "2004-08-10T21:14:40Z")
So, what do y’all think?? [/QUOTE] I think it explains my addiction to hot sauce and the fact I can drink it straight from the bottle. I buy the little shots and can pop one down in no time. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/4 "2004-08-10T21:14:51Z")
Sounds good to me. I’d rather be hot sauced than have my mouth washed out with soap. haha. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/5 "2004-08-10T21:16:28Z")
Well I like hot sauce too, but for little kids? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/6 "2004-08-10T21:16:48Z")
Wow. That’s just… mean. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/7 "2004-08-10T21:17:04Z")
:eek: I love hot sauce now, but as a kid I could barely handle medium salsas. Their tongues and membranes are just way more sensitive at a young age. I have NEVER heard of such a “discipline” technique and can’t imagine the type of parent who would consider something like that, much less on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/8 "2004-08-10T21:17:42Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > I think any moron that thinks this is a good idea should be hot sauced themselves. What’s your suggestion for disciplining little smartasses or kids who bite? When time-outs stop working, something has to be done. You can’t just let them run wild. A drop of hot sauce isn’t exactly child abuse. Would you rather the parent smack the kid in the mouth? That’s what we got for smarting off (and I don’t even hate my parents for itJ). ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/9 "2004-08-10T21:18:40Z")
The fuck? Yeah, this is my favorite part: > [@](#): > > “I don’t feel like I am physically hurting him,” said DeLorme, who described herself as “opposed to spanking and physical violence.” Your child’s MOUTH is burning, and you don’t consider that physical violence or physically hurting him? Perhaps someone should give her the definition of the word ‘physical’ so that she could think about that a little further. Ava ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/10 "2004-08-10T21:21:35Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > What’s your suggestion for disciplining little smartasses or kids who bite? When time-outs stop working, something has to be done. You can’t just let them run wild. Just put 'em on a leash. 😃 Or a time-out, or going to their room, or having toys/TV/vidoe games taken away… just a few other options off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/11 "2004-08-10T21:24:26Z")
Disclaimer: I have never used hot sauce or soap to discipline my kiddo, but I really don’t think it’s _that_ big of a deal. And I’m sure those kids learn fast after the first drop or two. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/12 "2004-08-10T21:25:49Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > What’s your suggestion for disciplining little smartasses or kids who bite? Send them to a room with no toys? > [@](#): > > Would you rather the parent smack the kid in the mouth? Um, no. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/13 "2004-08-10T21:26:21Z")
But **nyctea** , what do you do when those methods fail? If you have an extremely unruly child who continues to bite people after being punished with time outs, loss of toys, loss of privileges, etc, what do you do _then_? Of all the things that a person could do, this doesn’t seem to rank up there with ‘child abuse’. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/14 "2004-08-10T21:28:04Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > Well I like hot sauce too, but for little kids? 😕 Seriously–a beurre blanc is a much better accompaniment. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/15 "2004-08-10T21:28:19Z")
Not to mention… it gives them a negative association with a food that may get in the way of their enjoying that food when they are older. (My husband, for example, still hates corn because of some corn-related trauma as a child… how sad would it be to hate “all spicy food”???) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/16 "2004-08-10T21:32:44Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > But **nyctea** , what do you do when those methods fail? > > If you have an extremely unruly child who continues to bite people after being punished with time outs, loss of toys, loss of privileges, etc, what do you do _then_? > > Of all the things that a person could do, this doesn’t seem to rank up there with ‘child abuse’. I personally am not saying this is child abuse. I’d say it’s on par with washing your kid’s mouth out with soap, which seems like an antiquated practice. And if your kid is _that bad_, then you should probably get him some psychiatric care, not putting hot sauce in his mouth. One example in the article was when the mom hotsauced her kid for calling his sister a crybaby. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/17 "2004-08-10T21:34:06Z")
I think hot sauce is worse than getting spanked. Not everyone can take hot sauce, even lots of adults I know, but everyone could take a smack on the butt, as long as it’s done with a hand and not a strap or anything. Getting spanked, the way my mom did it anyway, never actually hurt much - it stung and all, but mostly it was just so damned humiliating. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/18 "2004-08-10T21:37:50Z")
> [@](#): > > **OpalCat** said: > Not to mention… it gives them a negative association with a food that may get in the way of their enjoying that food when they are older. (My husband, for example, still hates corn because of some corn-related trauma as a child… how sad would it be to hate “all spicy food”???) Oddly enough, my best friend was given the ‘hot sauce’ punishment as a kid when he was caught swearing. His mother told the babysitter that it was the proper punishment for both him and his brother when they uttered the naughty words. He now recalls with glee that he used to deliberately swear at the babysitter so she’d do the hot sauce thing. And he eats foods that make my eyes drain. Probably not true of all, but I just don’t see hot sauce as being that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/19 "2004-08-10T21:41:16Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > But **nyctea** , what do you do when those methods fail? What do you do when the hot sauce fails? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/20 "2004-08-10T21:42:36Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Probably not true of all, but I just don’t see hot sauce as being that bad. Did you miss this part of the article? > [@](#): > > Pediatricians, psychologists and experts on child care and family life contacted for this story strongly recommend against the practice. > > Kendrick [one of the experts] says parents who use the technique are “at the very least . . . ill-informed.” He pointed out that many parents are not aware that hot sauce can burn a child’s esophagus and cause the tongue to swell – a potential choking hazard. > > Capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, inflames membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth. While many adults find this feeling pleasurable, capsaicin can cause negative reactions even in the third of the adult population that has no tolerance for ingesting it, according to Joel Gregory, publisher of Chile Pepper magazine. > > There are additional risks for children. Giorgio Kulp, a pediatrician in Montgomery County, said that the risk of swelling as well as the possibility of unknown allergies make the use of hot sauce on children dangerous. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260.md?page=2)