WARNING: I have a "delete" button and I use it!

Mouth Washed Out with Soap?! - NO !!!

Whenever I hear of someone washing a child's  mouth out with soap, I am reminded to let people know how dangerous it is.

When I was in Junior High there was a really bad mouth bratty kid in our class.

After one weekend, we all learned that his father had made him drink Joy (dishwashing detergent) because he cussed so badly.

The kid died.

At first thought, you are probably saying the father was an idiot.  But, when you think about it, the man was probably at his wits end, trying to figure out how to get his son to stop the cussing (he was REALLY bad).  He probably felt that he would up the bar of soap trick, and give his son the liquid stuff - to make more of an impression.

So, please remind people to NEVER wash out a child's mouth with soap.

Soap is made with lye which is a poison.  Who wants to put a poison into their child's body?

Just thought I'd share this with you.

It's been over 30 years and a few years ago I spoke with that boy's aunt who updated me on the situation.  His father had gone to prison for that act.  And, his twin sister left town and moved someone where she was never heard of again.  She doesn't contact the family and they still don't know where she is, or if she is okay.  The entire story is really very sad and an example of how something so simple can rip a family apart - LITERALLY!

Save our Children - show them a good example, instead of poisoning their minds and bodies!

crazyjeans12000
I'll never forget the taste of LAVA.....
May-13-08 17:54:25 PDT Report this comment
cyclone5dogs
Thanks for sharing charlotte...very sad indeed...
May-13-08 17:55:09 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
Oh, I'll never forget the FEEL of Lava!!!

:-o
May-13-08 17:55:43 PDT Report this comment
spicy*peach
Me too cj....yuck...., but was NEVER made to swallow it....
May-13-08 17:56:25 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
Yeah, it makes me cringe when I hear people say they STILL do this today.

And, a few months ago I remember seeing the Nanny show where the mom used
liquid HAND soap to squirt into her kid's mouth!!! :-o

The Nanny was VERY Politically correct by asking her what the hell was wrong
with her. And, the mother just throught she was way out of line.

I would have been MUCH more verbal about it.
May-13-08 17:57:11 PDT Report this comment
darlenedobbins
My mother did that to me when I was little. I had heared one of my brothers use the word. I had to stand in the kitchen with a bar of soap in my mouth. I said then that I would never do that to one of my kids.
May-13-08 17:57:19 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
What did they do with the book of matches?!

:-o
May-13-08 17:57:33 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
Yeah, I even had the soap in my mouth. I remember it being stuck in my teeth.
But, I brushed it out. I wouldn't swallow it.

I can't imagine being made to swallow liquid soap.

It reminds me of when my uncle gave me a black eye, and I didn't know I could
report him.

It is so sad when adults get away with stuff like that.
May-13-08 17:59:01 PDT Report this comment
103-stuff4sale
That's very sad. So many other things a person can do instead of soap.
May-13-08 17:59:08 PDT Report this comment
103-stuff4sale
matches? I never heard of that
May-13-08 18:01:19 PDT Report this comment
kook*is*gone
I had this done to me as a kid. Ivory soap, I think it was. I was being punished for using the word "God" as a statement of surprise.
May-13-08 18:04:05 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
I got slapped in the face for saying "Jesus Christ".

:-o
May-13-08 18:04:49 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
And, once when I questioned the Pastor of our Church in our Confirmation Class,
I was taken out of his school and made to go to another one. :-o

He didn't like me questioning him about "God". Or, using the "H" word that is
in the bible, but which is suppose to never be "spoke".

<<<rolls eyes>>>
May-13-08 18:06:26 PDT Report this comment
103-stuff4sale
quietly says a prayer of thanks for the parents I had
May-13-08 18:07:57 PDT Report this comment
darlenedobbins
One thing was, my dad was not home, he would never have let her get away with that. He always had us tell anything and if someone tried to abuse us we told dad. I can't believe your uncle gave you a black eye. What a jerk.
May-13-08 18:08:06 PDT Report this comment
darlenedobbins
This is a very good post. Thank you for it.
May-13-08 18:09:17 PDT Report this comment
spicy*peach
Lawdy, guess they would have performed and exorcism on me then. LOL and by the way, you can call me drags or geri if it is easier for you to remember. LOL
May-13-08 18:09:26 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
He also hit me with a board that had rusty nails in it.

It's amazing how children don't realize that adults aren't the "ultimate"
authority.

I was fearful of living in a children's home again, so I never reported him.

I finally got him to stop hitting me when I was 16 and had enough. Long story,
but it worked.
May-13-08 18:12:07 PDT Report this comment
ckb2950
My favorite was Irish Spring. I liked the fruity looking swirls.
May-13-08 18:12:43 PDT Report this comment
eeyore3066
My mom once threatened to put hot sauce on my sons tongue when he was like 4. I told her if she ever did, I would punch her right in the face.
May-13-08 18:13:17 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
eeyore - good for you!

Did you see on T.V. that Marsha from the Brady Bunch used that for discipline with HER kids?!

:-o
May-13-08 18:16:28 PDT Report this comment
eeyore3066
terrible.
May-13-08 18:17:40 PDT Report this comment
charlottewebb
We as parents, are not suppose to HARM our children.

It makes me VERY angry when I see or hear of adults resorting to physical
punishments for their children.

Kids understand reasoning and they respond to kindness better than anger.
May-13-08 18:17:52 PDT Report this comment
sweetbabycakesbowtique
I believe we can find better solutions than SOAP. I seen that Nanny episode..I believe that may have been the one who had very little feelings..May be wrong. Reminds me of A Christmas Story when he goes blind, lol...
May-13-08 18:18:45 PDT Report this comment
eeyore3066
actually, I've come to the conclusion that my 14yo son can NOT understand reasoning. hehe
May-13-08 18:20:14 PDT Report this comment
sweetbabycakesbowtique
If anyone dos watch the Nanny they can see reasoning works. She gets these kids do act right and help out without yelling, spanking or poisoning them.
May-13-08 18:21:39 PDT Report this comment
sweetstuff
Um ... "The Nanny" is television (very unrealistic, at that) ... and as far as soap being lye ... yes, there's lye in it, but lye would burn your skin. The process of saponification is a chemical process that mixes the lye and the oils into a whole new substance = soap. The lye's gone. Saying that eating soap would be the same as eating lye would be like saying drinking water would be like drinking hydrogen and you might blow up.

I could see where drinking Joy would be a very bad thing ... it's not really a soap, it's a detergent, and full of chemicals.

Very little of what we buy in the store is really soap - that's why they call them "cleansing bars" or "moisturinzing bars" ... it's also why they dry out your skin in general.

Having said all that, my mother made me lick a bar of Ivory once. That was seriously disgusting. She told me to stop complaining, and I told her to try it herself if she thought it was such a cool idea. She did. Was the last time any of us were punished that way ;)

I know I'm late in posting here, but ... :shrug: ... I don't care. I missed the conversation before, just tagging in my two cents now.

Charlotte, you're coming along nicely ... I'd still think you were almost human. Almost.
May-13-08 19:26:27 PDT Report this comment
bizzy*beez
sweetstuff, I think they're talking about Nanny 911 or Supernanny, not the Fran Dresher "The Nanny".

This is a great post, and was just backreading when I came across this. What's ironic is that just last week, I threatened to wash my younger daughter's (7) mouth out with soap because she's on a "butt" kick, that she picked up from the neighbor boy who's the same age. I told her if she kept saying "butt" over and over, I was going to wash her mouth out with soap. I've never done it before, and thankfully, I didn't have to resort to it because she has stopped.

My mom never had to wash my mouth out with soap, but I did get the belt, my shoe, the hairbrush, the wooden spoon, whatever was easy to reach. I swore that I would never use items on my children when discipling them. I have had to give a swat now and then, especially on the younger one, and only one time have I ever had to give a full-fledged spanking. Usually, what's most effective with my girls is the "go to your room" method. And no, they don't have a tv or video games or computer in their room, so they actually hate having to go to their room for punishment.


This is a really great post, Charlotte!
May-13-08 19:40:51 PDT Report this comment
twinscrapmama
Children can be difficult, however, I don't do the soap thing, and I can't bring myself to spank my kids or grandkids. I takj abd try reasoning and it usually works. They would have to do something really really bad to merit a spanking. I really liked the post as well Charlotte.
May-13-08 23:22:43 PDT Report this comment

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