As parents, our main responsibility is to raise our children in the best way possible. Parenting styles may differ, and there will be times when we make choices that others may not agree with. However, as long as we are not breaking the law or putting our children in danger, we have the right to discipline them as we see fit. This brings us to the story of a man who had to take extreme measures to discipline his rebellious teenage daughter.
The man, whose daughter is a 16-year-old high school junior, noticed a drastic change in her behavior. She had become insensitive, constantly making negative comments about people’s looks and belongings. It seemed like she had lost her filter and was being influenced by some new friends from school who were known for their mean behavior. Her primary target for criticism was their housemaid, whom she insulted with offensive names and comments about her cleaning habits.
The father had numerous discussions with his daughter about the negative impact of her behavior on others. He explicitly warned her that if she ever crossed the line again and insulted their housemaid, there would be consequences. True to his word, when she called the housemaid “filthy” on the same day she had a party to attend, he grounded her and didn’t allow her to go. She protested and denied ever insulting the housemaid, but that was the end of the matter.
Days later, the daughter approached her father claiming she couldn’t find her iPhone. Desperate to locate it, she asked him to call her number. To their surprise, the ringing sound came from their housemaid’s bag. Confronting the housemaid, she denied any involvement and tearfully insisted she had no idea how the phone ended up in her bag. The daughter repeatedly called her a thief, but her father intervened and sent her to her room. Before continuing the argument, he decided to review the indoor camera footage and was shocked by what he witnessed. The video clearly showed his daughter placing her own iPhone inside the housemaid’s bag. Furious, he apologized to the housemaid and gave her the rest of the day off. He then showed his daughter the incriminating video, leaving her speechless.
The father emphasized that what his daughter had done was not only immoral but also offensive. He explained that jeopardizing the housemaid’s livelihood over a petty party she couldn’t attend was completely unacceptable. He decided to ground his daughter and make her spend the night in the backyard, despite her being a germaphobe. She pleaded with him, crying and begging not to have to sleep outside with the dirt, insects, and hot temperatures. However, he stood his ground and refused to discuss the matter further, even threatening to extend the punishment to two nights. Although his wife suggested being more lenient, he firmly believed that calling people names and accusing them of theft was the worst behavior imaginable.
Now you might be wondering, why didn’t he assign her chores instead of making her sleep in the backyard? Well, he had already tried that punishment before, but it didn’t work. She deliberately stopped eating for days to avoid doing chores, which resulted in a trip to the emergency department due to low blood pressure.
In the end, the extreme punishment served as a wake-up call for the daughter. Hopefully, she has learned her lesson about treating others with respect and not using her germophobia as an excuse to insult them. Parenting is never easy, especially when it comes to disciplining teenagers, but sometimes drastic measures are necessary to teach them important life lessons.
