The kids have been grumpy lately. I have been told that us moms set the tone for our house. I can't tell if they are grumpy since I am grumpy or if I am grumpy because they are grumpy. So during a search on different punishments I have found some creative ideas...

Ducking Stool
1748: One pound and ten shillings cost "to make up a proper ducking stool" to punish scolds and nagging women.
A ducking stool was a seat attached to a long pole mounted on a support. A scold or nagging woman, on the order of the borough court, would be strapped to the stool and ducked in the waters of the Fergus.

Drunkard's cloak. It was a punishment for public drunkenness; the name of it is somewhat misleading. The flaw in the name comes from the fact that the cloak is less a cloak and more a barrel. The drunk was forced to don a barrel and wander through town while the villagers jeer at him. Holes were cut in the barrel for the person's hands and head, causing it to become like a heavy, awkward shirt.

The Brank aka Bride's scold. The brank was a punishment enacted on women who gossiped or spoke too freely. It was a large iron framework placed on the head of the offender, forming a type of cage. There was a metal strip on the brank that fit into the mouth and was either sharpened to a point or covered with spikes so that any movement of the tongue was certain to cause severe injuries to the mouth. The woman was then led by a city official through the streets of town by a chain, then usually tied to a whipping post or pillory to stand in view of the cruel and verbally abusive public.

All of these are for adults. Do you think in the culture where these were acceptable they were complaining about people spanking there kids or people tried to bolster a child's self esteem??? If only my kids were afraid of public ridicule for fighting with each other.....