Parents Who Took Discipline Too Far
Proper discipline can be difficult for some parents to navigate. Some of us are blessed with kids who are perfectly behaved while others have temperamental, stubborn, and troublemaking children. It’s our job as parents to raise them to have a moral compass and a good character, sometimes that means having to punish your child for bad behavior. However, punishment can be taken way, way too far. From giving away their child’s beloved pet to breaking their personal belongings, these parents took the concept of discipline way too far. Even the worst-behaved kid doesn’t deserve this kid of treatment.
Have a look at why parenting classes should be required before bringing a child into the world.
Not How You Foster Good Study Habits
Adopting and taking care of a pet is a lot of work. Most kiddos and adults probably don’t realize it. Pets aren’t objects. They’re living creatures that need love, support, and communal bonds to survive in this world. When parents begrudgingly get an animal for the family, they probably don’t want the kid to feel sad by saying no.
That still isn’t an excuse to drop your four-legged friend off at a shelter whenever your kid acts out. Punishing a child by ripping their family friend away isn’t just spiteful, it’s damaging. Not only is this dog going to feel rejected and have issues to work through, but your kid isn’t going to want to do their homework, either.
Disciplining Your Kid On Camera
The advent of social media has completely changed the way we live our lives and share them with others. Gone are the days of static images being pasted into photo albums to share during family events. Nowadays, every achievement is uploaded in real-time and we’re forced to stare at them for the sake of giving friends views and likes. While things started out funny and interesting, some parents have devoted their channels to celebrating (and sometimes shaming) their kids for even the most mundane things.
How many six-year-olds do you know that got straight A’s or understood the complexities of having their personal lives posted online for the world to see? At best, this is cringey (and still wrong). At worst it’s exploitation. Not everything deserves a video. Plus, who’s even watching these or is even subscribed to them?
This Is Heartbreaking
Parents and kids don’t always share the same interests. That may be a shocker to some, but it’s true. While it may be confusing for some, supporting your kid’s hobbies and passions can lead to them having more balanced mental health and encourages them to pursue their dreams. Some parents just don’t get it. They also may not like what their kid is into.
Yeah, some activities aren’t great (like stuff that breaks the law or hurts others). But things like drawing on a tablet seem pretty tame. Instead of setting limits, this parent seems to have found a way to stop that nasty drawing habit in its tracks: destroying expensive property because an alarm was missed.
Parent Or Prison Warden?
There’s a fine line between being a helicopter parent and running your home like a prison. Security systems are supposed to protect your home from intruders. They’re not designed for parents to spy on and dictate their childrens’ every action down to the second. Also, fun fact: schools don’t let kids out early to get home to do the dishes. If a kiddo has chores and does them when they get home, awesome.
If they’re a few minutes late because of the bus (or because classes aren’t done until a certain time) they shouldn’t be punished for it. Unfortunately, some parents just don’t get it. Instead, they find ways to punish kids for not being able to adhere to the parent’s schedule!
What A Wild Reaction
Raising boys can be tough. Raising girls can be tough. Raising any living being can be tough. When it comes to the bathroom, different people use it in different ways. Yes, sometimes lifting the seat to pee is easier. It should also be put back down (because that’s considerate). However, does leaving the seat up imply someone is on drugs? That seems a bit much. It also seems like a massive reach to imply avoiding peeing on the rim indicates drug use.
If that’s the case, then a lot of people would be getting tested. That, or, more homes would come with urinals. Does it seem like this parent is using their kid’s bathroom decisions to punish them for an average grade? Someone’s math isn’t lining up here, and we don’t think it’s ours.
Homophobic Mom Cuts Off Her Kid
Even in the 21st century coming out can be a difficult and anxiety-filled event for many people. Feelings of inadequacy, worries about safety, and other completely rational thoughts regarding your identity are (unfortunately) normal and commonplace for many members of the LGBTQ community. Even in the most loving families, some people find it uncomfortable and wait for the right time to let people know who they are.
First things first: you’re absolutely perfect the way you are, deserve love, and nobody deserves to be victimized or cut off for being true to themselves. Also, this parent is just terrible. That’s it. There’s no other commentary. Deciding to end your support for your child based on who they love is disgusting. The end.
Sounds Like She’s The One With That Kind Of Behavior
Quick, how many four-year-olds can you think of that have never copped an attitude, thrown a tantrum, or been somewhat stubborn? None. Exactly. What parents don’t seem to grasp is just because “they used to be” that age doesn’t mean they know what their kid is going through. When we’re little we’re not totally in charge of our actions and responses. That’s mostly because we lack critical thinking.
Especially at four years old, when a kid is acting out, the punishment (or solution) should fit the tantrum. Auctioning off every toy a kid has, and bringing up the threat every so often, isn’t wise. It’s basically keeping your kids in a constant state of fear. When your kid grows up and moves out, what will this parent threaten them with?
What An Out Of Proportion Response
Everyone has opinions. Everyone has also challenged their parents or given attitude from time to time. It all comes with puberty and challenging authority. While it’s not always the nicest of moments, sometimes parents need to take a step back and see what’s going on. When that doesn’t happen, some weird punishments may happen. Grounding a kid for being rude? Yeah, that makes sense.
Stripping them of everything that brings them comfort and forcing them onto a mattress on the floor for months at a time? That’s basically abuse. No home should be a prison. No parent should be a prison guard in their home. Sometimes talking through problems can prevent a lot of future trauma.
It’s Just You
Video game consoles are super expensive. Most kids can’t readily afford one. In those instances, parents will pay for it as a gift. Some parents also believe gifts like that can be permanently taken away as punishment. That kind of makes sense. What doesn’t is teaching a child that an appropriate punishment for something is physical violence and destruction of property.
Most people probably believe the punishment should fit the crime. If this kid didn’t beat someone or something with a hammer, why use one on their stuff? To rub salt in everyone’s wounds (and make themselves look mentally unstable) this parent started bragging online about it. In what world is any of this acceptable or healthy?
We Wonder Why This Method Isn’t Working
Tough love comes in many different shapes and sizes. Most true acts of it come from the right place where no harm is being done (but a lesson is being taught). Something like this is psychological abuse and is much worse than being tough. There’s also absolutely no love in taking away basic necessities for anyone (not just a child) to live.
Then, since this person is being a monster, they bragged about it and told people not to criticize her for her actions. Moments and decisions like this will just reinforce to this kid that true love has no place in a “family” that does something like this. Hopefully, they’re in a safer place now with an extra-comfy bed.
Thrusting Their Kid Into A “Survivor” Situation
Teaching a kid independence is an important part of being a parent. When your kiddo goes through the rebellious phase of puberty (most of us did or will), you gotta take it in stride. Everyone’s been there. It’s part of growing up, learning boundaries, and exploring the world around us. While there are many ways to foster independence, this isn’t one of them.
How does abandoning your kid on a deserted island curb their rebellious nature? If anything, these (terrible) parents are fast-tracking their kid to being a land-owner and real estate tycoons. They’re also encouraging them to realize that some parents don’t want to raise their kids or even care about them.
Messed Up On So Many Levels
While parents need to know what their kids are up to, they still deserve the right to privacy. Removing their bedroom door, going through their things, or demanding to search their phone out of nowhere is totally unnecessary. Even if the mom suspected something fishy was going on, there was no reason to destroy the kid’s phone.
Talk about a massive waste of money. Parents will confiscate their kid’s things if they’re being misused, but smashing them is a totally different story. Posting the whole thing on social media for the world to know is even worse. Sounds like a completely humiliating situation for her poor daughter.
Punishing Someone For Being Safe
Some parents have wildly different ideologies from their children. We’ve heard stories of kids who have to get vaccinated behind their parents’ backs because their mom and pop wouldn’t let them get their shots when they were young. But this parent is taking it to another level by grounding their kid for wearing a mask!
This Tweet was posted in 2020, we can definitely understand why their kid would want to wear a mask in an enclosed space. What we can’t wrap our heads around is why their parent cares so much. Your child is taking extra precautions, why is that so offensive to you? Sounds like they’re the ones who should be grounded!
We Hope Someone Told Them It’s Not Appropriate
If you’re still recovering from your teenage days of geometry and algebra, brace yourself. We have a spine-chilling calculation that will sober you up in a second. When a 13-year-old got caught trying to purchase alcohol illegally (as many teens do), her mom came up with a punishment that would surely send a message. This teen would have to finish an entire bottle of vodka in one sitting.
Poetic justice? Not so much, when you do the math. 1.75L of Smirnoff vodka is 39 1.5-ounce shots. Considering that only a few shots are enough to make inexperienced drinkers sick to their stomachs, forcing a 13-year-old girl to down almost 40 shots of vodka in one go is downright dangerous.
Have You Tried Not Screaming At Your Infant?
Sometimes we read something that makes us wish that we didn’t know how to read in the first place. This post is one of those things. One toxic mother decided that Facebook would be a great place to ask for advice that would allow her to continue verbally abusing her child.
It’s almost like we can read her mind. If she doesn’t yell at her child all day, how will they learn how to respect others? You can tell that this mom is a quality person because she adds a little “pretty please” at the end. Our tips are to stop screaming at your child and learn how to spell.
We Don’t Even Want To Know Why They Wrote This
Ever heard that saying about becoming the person you spend the most time with? Most of us may not realize how much our friends end up influencing major decisions, from encouraging us to leave that dead-end job to even giving advice on how to raise our children. Unfortunately, with the wrong friends, things can get ugly… as they did for this toxic mom.
We don’t know what suggestions this mom and her friends sit around and share, but they’re clearly not the gold standard of parenting. While sometimes there are truly some shady things happening behind closed doors, we doubt that the malicious behavior is coming from a secret financial scheme among teachers.
Dude, They’re Already Engaged
How would you react if you came home to visit your family and saw this? A sleeping bag lying on the floor and your dad telling you to sleep in separate rooms. He’s clearly delusional if he thinks that he can prevent two engaged adults from sleeping together. The craziest part is that he brought a 12 gauge shotgun with him.
What was he going to do, murder the fiance if he dared to step a foot outside the room past curfew? It’s a shame we can’t see what’s going on in people’s heads. He clearly knows they’re sleeping together in their own home, otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought out the shotgun.
If Your Kids Aren’t Exactly Like You, Punish Them
Most of us understand that raising a child is a long and tedious process. But as parents, we should do our best to guide and teach them how to be the best person they can be. Sadly, some people don’t see it that way. All they want to do is raise their child to be a direct copy of themselves.
The person replying to this tweet clearly doesn’t know what it means to properly raise children. This toxic father probably forces his kids to do all the activities he likes. He never stops to think that they might have their own interests. Hopefully not many will follow in his footsteps.
Straight To Bootcamp
It seems like most toxic fathers on this list don’t care about anybody but themselves. There’s a certain way of communicating with your child, just because he was a little “out of focus” doesn’t mean that you can send them to boot camp. They’re not some dog you can send off to be trained.
This poor kid probably felt like the world around him was collapsing. One day you’re meeting with your friends and having a good time. The next day you’re in uniform getting yelled at. The only thing that cheers us up when reading these messages is the thought that when these dads grow old, their kids will just send them to a retirement home and never speak to them again.
What Will This Accomplish?
At first glance, you might think that this room belongs to a very messy, yet devoted Christian. But sadly the truth is it belongs to a daughter who has a toxic dad. Her only sin was going out with her girlfriends while wearing a tight dress. Obviously, her father disapproved, but when she didn’t listen he decided to nail several pictures of Jesus on her wall.
We have to admit, this is one of the most passive-aggressive ways we’ve ever seen someone retaliate. And there’s no reason to throw a fit over someone’s wardrobe decisions. We’re wondering what he will do the next time she decides to go out dressed “inappropriately”.
Is This Even Legal?
This list certainly showcases some toxic dads doing borderline illegal things. But this one, in particular, makes us wonder if this dad’s obeying the law. We know some parents use tracking apps on their children’s phones, but that’s usually meant to keep them from getting lost, not to mention those kids are typically under 18.
It’s a whole different story when it comes to bugging adults. You can’t just plant a tracking device on someone, even if it’s your own son. Even the police need special permission to do these kinds of things. We can certainly understand why this person decided to leave the house and not tell their toxic father.
Nothing But A Big Bully
Parents are far too comfortable shaming their kid on social media. In what world does a mom feel good about telling the internet that her child is a “brat”? The same kind who has no problem shaving her kid’s hair. Not only is this pushing the boundaries of parental control, but we think it’s downright abusive.
You can’t alter your child’s appearance as punishment. This is something that will likely cause their kid to resent them for the rest of their life. Some parents feel like they can do whatever they want just because they’re bigger than their kid, but eventually karma will come to teach them a bitter lesson.
Not Letting Their Kid Have Their Own Beliefs
Navigating your faith when your child isn’t a believer can be a bit tricky. Of course every parent wants their kid to share a religion with them, but at the end of the day, we must accept that kids are individuals who should be able to express themselves. This parent wants to outright punish their child for not wanting to partake in religious services!
Way to teach them to love God through punishment, we’re sure that’s not going to backfire at all. The person who answered this asinine question is dripping with sarcasm, and we love it. Maybe it will get this parent to wake up and stop being so unreasonable.
Serious Temper Problems
We can’t even imagine what kind of damage was inflicted on that poor stuffed animal. You may have a serious problem if you destroy toys the same way a dog would. Not to mention, isn’t it usually children who tear apart playthings out of anger? If your temper is on par with a toddler then you need to reevaluate your reactions.
We can’t imagine the horror those kids experienced when they found out what their parent did to their stuffed animal. Children need to learn that stealing isn’t okay, but this can’t be the way to teach them. If anything they’ve learned that respecting people’s property isn’t all that important!
Not Pooping? You’re Punished!
Having digestive problems isn’t fun for anyone, especially not children. It looks like this poor child is dealing with some pretty serious stomach issues, and for some reason her parent thinks it’s a good idea to punish her. We can’t pretend to be the experts when it comes to getting your child to use the toilet, but this can’t be it.
If anything the kid probably feels even more frustrated! Maybe this family should go out for counseling after they have another check-in with the doctor. If this is how they deal with medical problems we don’t want to think about how they handle behavioral issues.
What A Leap In Logic
This sentence was a disaster from start to finish. Instead of going to the therapist and discussing their daughter’s mental health, this parent went to a total extreme and wants to cut off their kid! In what world is cutting off your daughter’s tuition money going to make you a better parent? If anything you’re just proving the therapist’s point.
Family counseling isn’t a bad idea, but you don’t need to include punishment. This sounds like a parent who doesn’t trust their child or anyone else for that matter. We hope someone’s able to step in and set them straight before they make any drastic decisions.
Some Of You Are Okay With Hitting Children And It Shows
Corporal punishment as a form of discipline for children has declined steadily over the generations. Back in the day, it was acceptable for a teacher to slap a child’s wrist if they wrote with their left hand! Nowadays parents are beginning to realize that even spanking is cruel, though this person doesn’t seem to be on the non-violent side of the argument.
If you’re whipping children with a belt you’re in the wrong, full stop. Not only was this person the victim of violence, but they’re perpetuating it as well. Sadly, it’s all too common for kids to grow up and enact the same punishment they received growing up, no matter how cruel it might’ve been.
Oh, We’re Judging
There’s a lot of debate when it comes to corporal punishment. Way back when there wasn’t even a question over whether or not a parent should be able to hit their kid. That mentality is long gone, though some parents still think it’s okay to spank their children. No matter how you feel about spanking, you’ll have to agree that this mother is taking it way too far.
Don’t shake the baby and don’t spank the baby. The baby doesn’t have the capability to understand right from wrong yet, you’re just going to have to be patient and deal with their tantrums until they’re a little older.
Is That A Normal “Mommy Moment”?
We don’t know what the definition of a “mommy moment” is, but we wouldn’t have guessed anything close to smashing your child’s stuff. What kind of example are you setting when you destroy someone else’s property out of rage? If your child pulls that kind of behavior, how are you going to react? They learned it from you!
We can appreciate the fact the mom is trying to rectify her mistake, but this isn’t exactly something you can take back. Once it’s done it’s done and your kid isn’t going to forget it any time soon. We wonder if she was able to replace it before her son noticed.
Social Media Isn’t Meant For Discipline
Kids nowadays are born into a world where social media is the norm, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. However, some parents don’t seem to know how to set limits when it comes to sharing their children online. Small children don’t understand the ramifications of having their meltdowns and worst moments on the internet forever. If adults don’t understand that, how can children?
Punishing your child publicly is bad enough, doing it on the internet is even worse. Not only are you subjecting them to ridicule from strangers, but those videos and photos will never truly be gone. Parents need to be more careful when it comes to sharing their children online, and they DEFINITELY shouldn’t use it as a disciplinary tool.