Parenting is tough! And, someone who says differently is definitely lying!
Parenting is not only emotionally but intellectually draining. And, more often than not, it demands you to take tough decisions to ensure you raise morally and emotionally responsible kids for the future.
And, one such incident came to light recently on Reddit.
A father of 16-year-old was stunned when she got into trouble for making fun of another student, who had lost her hair to chemotherapy.
Father knew he has failed at raising an empathetic kid when he heard that her daughter ended up pulling off her wig.
Recalling the tension between her 16-year-old and the cancer victim that led to the incident, the father shared:
“They were having an argument in class about stupid teenage gossip regarding my daughter’s boyfriend. At some point the other girl mentioned how my daughter’s boyfriend was just using her for sex (this was actually a big shock to me as I had no idea she was sexually active) and called my daughter a slut.
That’s what escalated the situation and resulted in the wig incident. Supposedly they have been arguing in class ever since my daughter started dating the guy in question. Basically just stupid teenage ‘he said she said’ nonsense.”
Even after knowing that there was some ‘pre-existing bad blood’ between the two, the father still doesn’t think any of it can explain her behavior.
“Not how I’ve raised my daughter to treat people and it truly disgusted me to hear how she acted from her deputy principal’, he wrote. ‘She showed no remorse. She tried to excuse her behavior by saying the girl in question deserved it. Again, I don’t care what she said, that behavior is inexcusable.”
As a parent, sometimes, we have to make tough decisions to make sure our kids strive to be the best version of themselves. And, this moment was one of those tough moments for this dad.
To teach her right from wrong, he gave his daughter two choices:
“She could either live without technology OR she could shave her head completely bald“
Being a teenager, she opted for the latter: She chose to lose her hair over losing technology.
The dad knew his punishment was a bit harsh but he was quite determined to teach his daughter compassion. He further added:
“I came up with the punishment because I thought my daughter had an extreme lack of empathy for the girl she bullied. And added that her actions felt all the more personal because he lost his mother to breast cancer when he was in his 20s.
My daughter knows this and that is what really disgusted me with her behavior,” he says. “It demonstrated a complete and utter lack of empathy. I hoped that her going to school bald and walking a mile in the other girl’s shoes would teach her a lesson.”
The Internet found itself divided on this father’s decision. Some labeled this punishment too harsh:
“Your daughter sucks for bullying that girl, obviously. But you went too far with this punishment”, one person wrote in the comments.
And, some favored the father:
“The punishment was absolutely harsh, probably harsher than I would have done in your place (I can’t say for certain, I’m not a parent). But she will see what kind of impact actions like hers have on the victim and that will teach her a very important lesson. If teaching her that lesson makes you the (expletive), perhaps the world needs a few more.”