Do any other parents set an essay or lines for their children? My wife has dished out an essay a few times to our 15 year old daughter. It seems to be quite effective - our daughter finds them very hard work.
In our house we frequently use them. We use them as a secondary learning tool, because in an essay, the children must use their own words to explain why a decision they made, or a behavior they choose was incorrect. In addition, it helps with spelling, sentence structure, and complete thought process. One other factor, our kids also don't like them either, and because of that, it's effective in getting them to think before they act.
We usually set a 1,000 word (4 typed pages), and the assignment is they are on restriction until it gets done. If they finish it in one day, great, if it takes them 2 weeks, that's their decision...but until its finish, they stay on restriction (no TV, no radio, no phone, no computer {except to write the essay}, no friends, and they stay home). Usually our girls finish it within 1 day....its in their best interest.
I worry that your children are learning that writing is a punishment, when they should in fact learn that writing is a joy. In my experience working in a school this is not effective in the long run. I would ground my children initially and then get them to sit down and discuss the rights and wrongs of what they have done at length. Perhaps making a brainstorm of where they went wrong and then another of how they should have behaved.
