Disciplining the children

[clockworkgirl21]

It wouldn't surprise me either, since Nikolai pulled Anastasia out from under a table by her hair. My mom did stuff like that, and it hurts. I think that if he can pull his daughters' hair, he can give little swats. About Aleksey...I don't know. He got his way when he was younger because his parents were afraid he would throw a fit and hurt himself.

[Tania]

Hi Georgiy,

In Blini, noodles, and bread it is delicious, on the knees, terribly painful, and lasting in memory.

Tatiana

Buckwheat is a type of grain, good for making blini, and Japanese noodles (soba). I have also used it in bread - very tasty!

[Margarita Markovna]

It wouldn't surprise me either, since Nikolai pulled Anastasia out from under a table by her hair. My mom did stuff like that, and it hurts. I think that if he can pull his daughters' hair, he can give little swats. About Aleksey...I don't know. He got his way when he was younger because his parents were afraid he would throw a fit and hurt himself.

Wouldn't hitting Alexei hurt him, too?

[clockworkgirl21]

I doubt they ever hit Aleksey. It would be too dangerous. But they had to punish him somehow. Perhaps time out?

[Sarushka]

Seems to me they didn't discipline Aleksei nearly enough -- Gilliard's account of the tsesarevich's behavior during some of his early lessons will prove my point...

[Lanie]

Seems to me they didn't discipline Aleksei nearly enough -- Gilliard's account of the tsesarevich's behavior during some of his early lessons will prove my point...

Yeah.  I doubt they disciplined him at all.  He was allowed to get away with anything...

[Sarushka]

I just searched through my copy of Gilliards' memoirs, and I can't find the incident I had in mind. Does anyone else recall reading this?

Aleksei came to one of his lessons with a pair of scissors, refused to sit down, then proceeded to wrap himself up in the drapes, all the while threatening to cut up the curtains (and possibly his hair as well).

Did I imagine this?? (I'm quite sure I didn't -- I even remember where I was sitting when I read it!)

[Maria_Pavlovna]

There is a punishment without being hitting or anything that would scar a child.  

pull out a single hair on his/her head


(My Nanny still does that to me when i'm being a smart alec.).

[JaneEyre5381]

I would definitely agree with those that see Aleksey as pretty much unmanageble.  His parents it seems averted from any sort of discipline in fear that he may get hurt.  I'm sure that Nikolai and Alix were aware of punishments that have no physical from, such as taking away of privileges.  In my opinion, taking away his play time for misbehaving at lessons would have driven the point pretty well.

As for giving light swats to their daughters, I would have to agree.  Let's face it, even today children get spanked if they get out of hand.  I doubt that the children were beaten severely, but a slight swat after asking repeatedly to stop doing something is enough to perhaps shock the child and make him/her behave and listen.

I just want to add, that I'm against any physical punishments (perhaps even spanking), but at times grabbing a child's hand and yelling "I told you repeatedly NOT TO GO NEAR THE STOVE!" may drive the point home very very well.

[Sainte-Claire1875]

I find the whole thing about the whipping incredible and I don't think it's true. I've never heard anything like that from any sources. From all I've heard, Nicholas and Alexandra hardly disciplined their children at all, other than to scold them occassionally when they were really bad.

Nicholas himself, and his siblings, were never really given discipline from their parents, who didn't believe in corporal punishment, and barely believed in discipline at all. When still a boy, Nicholas and his family would get into food fights at the dinner table and his parents, who always enjoyed childish games and pranks themselves, would often join in.

Once, when Nicholas was still a young man, he and his brother George played a prank on their father, Tsar Aleksandr III, by waiting for him to lean out his study window below as he always did, then they dumped a bucket of water on him. He later got them back by doing the same to them when he got the chance.

Scolding was the extent of their discipline, and it was the same for Nicholas and Alexandra's children--perhaps with an occassional 'sitting in the corner' or 'grounded' type of punishment. But they never hit or spanked their children. It was not part of their nature or their beliefs.

[Sainte-Claire1875]

...Now, I do agree that they may have been given a little swat here and there, but they would never have actually hit or beaten their children. That's so ghastly to even think of such a thing. They scolded and punished with love, not with fury. And the children were hardly afraid of their parents--on the contrary, they trusted in them completely and never blinked an eye.

[Sainte-Claire1875]

Nicholas' sister Ksenia hardly disciplined her children either, though she didn't let them get away with everything bad. Her boys in particular were always described as being 'wild' as if they didn't have a clue what it meant to be punished. Once when her children were doing somersaults down a hill and the nanny was looking on with disapproval, Ksenia joined in with the children and did a somersault or two--which the nanny really disapproved of. But that is the nature of Nicky and Alix, too (though Alix would never have done a somersault down a hill). Very little discipline but just enough loving punishment to keep them good and manageable.