Photo: Getty
"Say goodbye to meeting your grandchildren!"
By Megan Quinn
Last updated on Feb 23, 2024
Do not disrespect your parents — you just might pay for it with your electronic devices.
One teenager learned this after she talked back to her mother, and her father stepped in to disciplinary action to the extreme.
The father destroyed his daughter’s laptop, phone, and TV after she told her mom that school is ‘for losers.’
In a TikTok video that has been viewed 11 million times, a strict father doesn't hesitate to show his daughter what happens when she disrespects her parents.
As she lies in bed with her open laptop propped across from her, her father bursts into her bedroom.
“You told your mom that school is for losers, and it’s not your responsibility to clean your room?” the angry dad says in disbelief. “She had to clean your room. How many chances do I have to give you? Every time I give you a chance you go back and do the same thing.”
The man leans across his daughter’s bed and reaches for her laptop, before he proceeds to break it in half, tossing it back to the girl and telling her, “you can keep that.” He then grabs her cell phone and slams it to the ground repeatedly. The father’s breaking spree of electronic devices doesn’t end there.
Before heading out of the bedroom, he turns back around to kick his daughter’s flat-screen TV propped up in front of her bed. He takes the TV off of its stand before throwing it to the ground and kicking it a second time. “Look at that and [remember it] every time you say something to her [your mother],” the man warns before leaving his daughter’s bedroom, as the teenager sits in silence.
Some people praised the father for his actions.
“The kids nowadays think they are so darn entitled! Good for you dad!!” one commented.
“They want all that stuff but they can’t clean the room. The parents are not their servants,” another wrote.
“Sometimes parents should teach their children discipline and this father is doing the right thing,” another believed.
However, most people criticized the father for what appeared to be a far too harsh punishment.
“That is abuse, maybe not physical but it's going to cause trauma and it's not going to do anything but make sure that they are not open and honest,” one user commented.
“So, you're teaching your kid NOT TO BE DISRESPECTFUL by DISRESPECTING THEIR PROPERTY?” another pointed out.
“Say bye to ever meeting your grandchildren…” another wrote. “Relationships built on fear and trauma can only lead to hateful ones,” warned yet another.
Other pepple noted that the man most likely bought at least a few of his daughter’s electronics, and was wasting his own money in the end.
Disciplne fueled by anger is not an effetive parenting strategy
The father's actions may have garnered both praise and criticism, it's important for parents to carefully consider the effectiveness and long-term implications of their disciplinary measures. Reacting out of anger, as demonstrated by the father, can lead to unintended consequences and strained relationships between parents and children.
While some argue for the importance of teaching discipline, espcially in an age of gentle parenting, it's crucial to find constructive ways to address disrespectful behavior without resorting to destructive actions that may cause emotional harm. Building mutual respect and open communication between parents and children is essential for building healthy life-long relationships and guiding positive behavior.
Effective discipline involves setting clear expectations, providing guidance and support, and addressing issues with empathy and understanding.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.