Viral parenting video sparks conversation about punishment

A viral video, showing a boy running to school after he was kicked off the school bus for bad behavior, sparked a conversation about discipline. The boy's father can be heard calling the punishment "old-school parenting".

The staff at EPIC, Every Person Influences Children, don't take issue with the punishment but do raise concerns about the father's decision to post the video online.

"He let him know the behavior was unacceptable," Jennifer Majeski, interim executive director of EPIC, explained. "He followed him to school for his safety. However, posting to social media is actually putting the child at risk of being bullied himself."

The organization encourages parents to use "positive discipline" that teaches kids the negative consequences to their bad behavior. Majeski says it is important for parents to communicate with their children about the discipline and why it is happening.

"This also helps us to have a better relationship with our child," Majeski said. "Keeping an open and supportive communication is important."

EPIC holds training sessions and workshops for parents, guardians and children that address a wide variety of topics. One class specifically focuses on appropriate and safe social media usage.

"It guides parents to protect themselves and protect their children from social media drama. It improves understanding of general online rules, overview and social media safety," Flores said. "Once it's out there it is out there. We can't undo putting something on the internet and we don't know how that's going to affect our children down the line."

For more information about EPIC's programs and services you can visit the group's website here or call (716) 332-4100.