# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/81 "2004-08-11T14:56:09Z")
My kid HATES the Tabasco sauce. I’ve never actually used it on him as punishment, but the threat looms. He saw me use it on my dinner once and wanted some. He seemed OK with the "heat :rolleyes: " (granted, he turned a little red and began to sweat), but his real problem was with the vinegar in it. Boy, did that make him pucker! And the intimidation factor of a drop of Tabasco is not to be taken lightly. I see nothing wrong with it if, as has been said and apparently ignored, it is done judiciously. One, two drops max, on the tip of the tongue…not poured down their throats by the ounce. Besides, washing their mouths out with soap causes blindness. Hasn’t the yearly “A Christmas Story” marathon taught you anything? And a part of teaching your child something at a young age includes teaching them to obey authority and rules, as well as the fact that a failure to obey has consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/82 "2004-08-11T15:11:48Z")
If a parent tries Tobasco on a child’s tongue, and said child has a bad reaction to said Tobasco, I think it’s safe to say that any parent who’s actually trying to be a good parent _won’t use that method again_. The way some people are talking in here, it’s like the parents of that one-third who are allergic are STILL pouring tablespoonsful of it into their wailing tykes’ helpless little inflamed mouths. I think if your kid’s not allergic and soap doesn’t work, a drop of Tobasco might be the way to go. For a _non-allergic_ child who is _old enough to understand his/her household sin_. Speaking of which…people keep on talking about horrible experiences they )or generic “children”) have had when they were infants or toddlers - I don’t think **anyone** in this thread is condoning using this method on a child under the age of, say, five. We only use soap for lies. That nasty flavor is “what a lie tastes like.” _shrug_ It’s working pretty well so far. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/83 "2004-08-11T15:18:43Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > We only use soap for lies. We only use soap for showers. ---
**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 11, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/84 "2004-08-11T15:19:46Z")
For the record: > [@](#): > > Tabasco is the proprietary name of a single brand of sauce, made by the McIlhenny Co. of Avery Island, La. **The owners of the company condemn the use of their products for child discipline.** In an interview, company president Paul McIlhenny called the practice “strange and scary” and “abusive.” ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/85 "2004-08-11T15:21:05Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Jeez, Judge Crater, you wouldn’t pistol whip 'em first? You might wanna look into fixing your sarcasmometer. I think it’s broken. ---
**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 11, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/86 "2004-08-11T15:22:58Z")
Forgot the link: [http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article\_10786.shtml](http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_10786.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/87 "2004-08-11T15:28:17Z")
Well, I’m sure Georgia-Pacific doesn’t condone the use of their wood to make paddles either. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/88 "2004-08-11T15:38:22Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > All I know is if smacking worked a child would not need more then one. What? That doesn’t even begin to make sense (and I’m not really a pro-spanking person). By that bizarre logic, time-outs, groundings, and naggings must not work either, because if they did, a child would not need more than one. But many children do. That said, a drop of Tabasco isn’t even in the same universe as child abuse. If someone is making their child chug hot sauce or what **Amberlei** ’s mother did (a half bottle), that can be child abuse… but comparing the two is like comparing a 10 minute time-out facing the corner to locking a child in a closet for several days. Both of those isolate the kid, but degree matters, one is abuse, one is not. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/89 "2004-08-11T16:32:18Z")
I am wondering, just out of curiosity\*, how many of you that think this is a horrible punishment actually think Tabasco is hot? My family is Hispanic, and I suppose growing up in household where _chile_ is the norm, I find (and always have found) Tabasco to be more vinegar that heat. We tend to go through it a bottle every other month or so. I have seen recipes where they suggest 1 or 2 drops of tabasco and that just makes me giggle (no offense to you who think it’s hot). I couldn’t even taste 1 or 2 drops in a stew. I realize that babies and toddlers have very sensitive mouths, but as a small child I remember using tabasco. It just doesn’t seem that ONE drop is as earth shattering as it’s being made out to seem. \*I don’t have a dog in this fight. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/90 "2004-08-11T16:37:26Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > I am wondering, just out of curiosity\*, how many of you that think this is a horrible punishment actually think Tabasco is hot? > > My family is Hispanic, and I suppose growing up in household where _chile_ is the norm, I find (and always have found) Tabasco to be more vinegar that heat. We tend to go through it a bottle every other month or so. > > I have seen recipes where they suggest 1 or 2 drops of tabasco and that just makes me giggle (no offense to you who think it’s hot). I couldn’t even taste 1 or 2 drops in a stew. I realize that babies and toddlers have very sensitive mouths, but as a small child I remember using tabasco. > > It just doesn’t seem that ONE drop is as earth shattering as it’s being made out to seem. > > \*I don’t have a dog in this fight. It’s a relative thing, IMHO. I can’t even handle Tobasco sauce; just the smell makes me wince. Yet I know people who go through a large bottle per week. However, there is still a difference between diluting it in a recipe and putting a relatively concentrated drop directly on the tongue, particularly in a child who may not be used to spicy food. YMMV. Robin ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/91 "2004-08-11T17:26:07Z")
**Bad News Baboon** , I grew up in New Mexico, with a father who would chug sliced jalapenos from the jar and whose answer to “Red or green?” was always “which is hot today?” I spent time almost every summer in Hatch for harvest and roasting, surrounded by miles of the best chiles in the world. My best friend’s padres made some of the best posole ever, and their pork chile verde was to die for. I could get green chile as a topping at every pizza place in town, and on burgers almost anywhere, even at McDonalds. And I was still a plain 'ol wuss. I couldn’t stand anything hotter than mild salsa until I was in my teens. Now I’m right there with you–I use Tabasco as a flavored vinegar and just canned a half-dozen pints of home-grown habaneros. But as a kid? Fugeddaboudit. :shrug: ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/92 "2004-08-11T17:29:19Z")
> [@GLWasteful](#): > > You might wanna look into fixing your sarcasmometer. I think it’s broken. Or yours is. 😃 I think **Mockingbird** was joking too. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/93 "2004-08-11T18:03:12Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Young kids are very, very sensitive to capsaicin. They’ll often instinctively rub their mouths, then their eyes and nose water from the effects of the dose in the mouth, so they rub them too. Then their eyes, nose, and mouths are on fire. My father swears he’s never heard as much crying as when my two year old neighbor and I got into a bottle of tabasco sauce and started playing with it. Heh, I think he took pictures (after cleaning us up first!) ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/94 "2004-08-11T18:57:34Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > We only use soap for showers. You don’t wash your hands? Gross! ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/95 "2004-08-11T20:04:50Z")
I had this done to me once when I was about eight or nine. Granted, this wasn’t a punishment; it was a miscommunication. I said I wanted to put hot sauce on my wrist, because I’d read in some geek kid science book that you could feel it. My dad thought I was going to lick it off my wrist and made me taste it instead. Point is, that stuff hurt and burned for a few hours, and not in a minor way. I can’t imagine how that would feel to a little kid, and, moreover, don’t think there’d really be any sort of situation where such a punishment would be acceptable. Then again, I was almost never physically punished (I think once I was spanked and once my mom bopped me on the head witha brush, but I was around 12 both times, and it didn’t really hurt) so my perspective is probably skewed. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/96 "2004-08-11T21:38:43Z")
I wonder if any parents have been stupid enough to use something other than Tobasco sauce? There are some hot sauces out there that could send an adult, much less a young child to the hospital with respiratory problems. Just take a look at the cautions on these products containing Habenero pepper to see what I mean. [HOT sauces](http://www.cookscorner.net/SpecialtyFoods/HotSauces3.html) This is an article I found while searching for information to cite, it’s an interesting read. Scroll down to read about the health problems of workers who handle hot peppers day in and day out, as well as what prolonged exposure to hot peppers did to lab animals. [Health hazards](http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6416/smith-ok.html) Force feeding a child hot sauce could in some cases pose a serious health risk if the child were “sensitive” to hot peppers. I think it’s a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Creative\_Munster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Creative\_Munster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creative_Munster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/97 "2004-08-11T21:53:38Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > 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”???) Did the trauma involve a scoutmaster and a corncob? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/98 "2004-08-11T22:23:20Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > What kind and how much of the hot sauce do you think people who use the method are giving their kids? My impression is that it’s designed to cause a few minutes of unpleasantness, the same as a couple of swats on the ass with a bare hand. I don’t know of course; I was merely relating my _impression_ that the motivation behind it _seemed to me_ to include a certain element of ‘this is good because it will hurt a lot, yet leave no lasting physical trace that would incriminate me as a cruel or violent parent’ (I’ve had to exaggerate this sentiment here a little to make my point). I might well be mostly totally wrong about this perception; I’m just being honest about how this comes across to me. I’m also certainly not trying to suggest that _everyone_ who considers novel methods to discipline their children is automatically a bad parent. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/99 "2004-08-11T22:28:11Z")
Sorry, that should read ‘mostly **or** totally…’ ---
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260/100 "2004-08-11T22:52:38Z")
An ironic twist: I um…have a friend, who was really upset at her mother for being an ill pill. So, while her mother was out mowing the yard this person slipped about five drops of Tabasco Sauce in her mother’s iced tea. She didn’t want to hurt her, just cause the minor discomfort that has been mentioned. Anyway, the Tabasco sauce made blisters and her throat was sore for several days. She went hoarse and was in a great deal of pain. My friend still feels very quilty. The point to the story is that even a few drops of hot sauce can hurt somebody who is sensitive to it. Inflicting pain, or even pyhsical discomfort, on somebody who has made you angry now seems kind of anti-social to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hot-sauce-to-discipline-children/259260.md?page=6)