Amish parents typically value obedience and use corporal punishment. They invoke the biblical proverb of “spare the rod, and spoil the child” in both home and school settings. They strongly believe that spanking is critical for children's healthy development, and physical abuse can result.
The Amish believe in forgiveness, but they also believe in consequences. Offenders must make things right with those they've harmed and take responsibility for their actions. There are two main types of punishment in the Amish community: shunning, ex-communication.
Early to Bed
Since morning comes early, most Amish families are in bed by 8:30 – 9:00 pm. Rest and getting adequate sleep is imperative for the Amish since much of their day is spent doing manual labor.
Children enjoy popular games and toys just like English children. They have game-boys and battery operated gadgets. The girls have dolls with faces to play with. There are a few sects of Amish who still use the faceless dolls but for the most part that has gone by the wayside.
19th Century Discipline:
Corporal punishment was the most common form of discipline in schools. Teachers would use switches, birch, rulers, etc. for discipline and academic issues. Teachers were able to hit students when they were not paying attention in class, had discipline problems, and for academic issues.
Boys were usually caned on their backsides and girls were either beaten on their bare legs or across their hands. A pupil could receive a caning for a whole range of different reasons, including: rudeness, leaving a room without permission, laziness, not telling the truth and playing truant (missing school).
Each person sleeps on their side of the bed, with a board in between them to prevent any physical contact. The couple is allowed to talk to each other during the night, but they're not allowed to touch each other.
Birth control and abortion are forbidden by religious doctrine, even when pregnancy is life threatening. The Amish church has no rule against immunization, but only 16-26% of Amish children have received immunizations against the common childhood diseases.
They're encouraged to experiment and explore. The idea is that teens will come back to the church after tasting the modern world. For most, this means a tentative foray -- a trip to the local movie theater, or driving lessons. But for some, the experience, called rumspringa, is all about sex, parties and fast cars.
Pre-marital sex is strictly forbidden. The idea is that they can lie beside each other all night, talking but not touching, and that develops self-discipline.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
After their wedding, the white cape and apron used in the ceremony is kept in a safe place until her funeral. There's no first dance, kiss at the altar, or photographers at Amish weddings.
If Amish church members break their vows of baptism by disobeying religious leaders or church regulations and refuse to confess their error, they will face excommunication. Based on several biblical scriptures, the church shuns ex-members to remind them of their disobedience in hopes of winning them back.
In the Amish community, divorce is forbidden and not sanctioned in the Amish church. If a member of the community violates this, they are violating their vows that they took during their Amish baptism, which takes place between the ages of 18 and 22 years old, according to National Geographic.
They would then remain in the Amish community, and live as the Amish do. Amish people are expected to marry within their community. This makes outsiders wonder: “Are Amish marriages arranged?” While there may be a degree of this in some communities, it's not a custom.
Some of the victims are the parents of those accused. Amish women do not cut their hair and Amish men do not cut their beards after marriage for biblical reasons. “In the Amish faith a man's beard and a women's hair are sacred religious symbols,” Bridget M.
Reasons Why Amish Women Wear A Prayer Covering
They believe that a woman having her head covered is a sign that she is in submission to her husband. For unmarried girls, it's a sign of submission to her father. They believe that a woman with her head covered has extra protection.
According to the Schwartzentruber Amish Ordinance Letter, Amish women are not permitted to shave their legs or underarms. Amish ordinances also forbid women from cutting their hair.
Amish women are esteemed in Amish society for the contribution they make to home and community. They are mothers, managers of the household, and play an important role in maintaining communal ties. As the home is considered in some ways the center of Amish life, her role in maintaining it is highly important.
An Amish woman has the distinct responsibility of caring for the household and her family. Amish women may sew, clean, tend to animals, garden, prepare meals, preserve food, and care for children. A woman's tie to her home does not mean she is confined to the home, however.
Victoria's Reputation As a Bad Mother
"All the numerous children are as nothing to me when he is away," she wrote in 1857, "It seems as if the whole life of the house and home were gone when he is away!" She also once admitted that "I find no especial pleasure or compensation in the company of the older children.
Some prisoners were sentenced to hard labour, they had to do tough physical work. They were made to turn a crank, a heavy metal handle or walk on treadmills hundreds of times a day as punishment. Prisoners could be hurt or have their food taken away for misbehaving.
Hard labour was a common punishment. Many Victorians believed that having to work very hard would prevent criminals committing crime in the future. The crank and the treadmill: Prisons often made prisoners do pointless tasks such as turn a crank up to 10,000 times a day. Or walk for hours on giant circular tread mills.