A seven year-old boy is missing after his parents left him alone in a forest to punish him.
The boy went missing in mountains on Japan's main northern island of Hokkaido, which is inhabited by wild bears.
We've all heard reports of parents, at the end of their tether, temporarily leaving their child alone in an attempt to punish them.
Are parents who put their foot down and threaten to leave the child on the side of the road going to cause their child harm later in life, or are parents too soft these days?
Brenda Power, columnist with the Irish Daily Mail, argues that parents are too soft on their kids but says abandoning them in a forest is going too far.
David Carey, a consultant psychologist with over 25 years of experience in developmental psychology, says punishment can have ‘horrific’ effects on a child.
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