Abstract

This article defines parental punishment, the punishment of a child by a parental figure for a prohibited act. It is important to know, for both theoretical and practical reasons, whether timeouts, verbal reprimands, forced apologies, and the like are punitive or nonpunitive modes of discipline. However, no philosopher has tried to identify the distinguishing features of parental punishment. I rectify this gap in our understanding. My aims are purely descriptive, and my definition remains agnostic about the purpose of punishment and its moral permissibility. I first present the features of parental punishment and defend their necessity. I then deliver verdicts on the punitive status of several hard cases: vicarious punishments, threats, consequences, and timeouts.