Parenting, my way.

Everyone seems to be up in arms about this dad and him shooting up this computer.

OK, since I'm one of those folks who likes to make points hit home and I tend to gear punishments in that direction, here goes.

Had this been in my home, this computer would have been destroyed and not sold.

First, the computer would have been one of those items I deem 'on loan'. On loan because I want to retain control of it. If my kids didn't get it as a present, it was one of those things that were on loan from me.

Now, in this video he stated this had happened before. If my kids did something I deemed stupid on the internet? And they'd done this before? I'd have warned her already that if it happens again, the computer gets drowned.

See, if you're going to be disrespectful of the use of my things? I'm going to make you do a truly disrespectful thing--destroy my shit, willfully, with your own hands. In my face.

I'm going to have the bathtub, filled with water when she gets home. She'd have to go get the laptop and put it in the bathtub in front of me.

If you're going to be disrespectful (and IMO humiliating someone wrongfully in public is disrespectful), do it my face. Look at me while you hurt me. See what you're doing.

My son told me he hated me once. He was 8. I was so angry and so hurt. I wanted him to know how he'd made me feel.

I decided I was going to have him write, 100 times, "I hate you, mom." The exact words he'd said to me.

Not only was he made to write it, he was made to look at me in the eyes after writing every sentence and say it, out loud, while looking at me. IN THE EYES.

He needed to understand that words hurt. Hurting him with my words wasn't the answer, but hurting him with his was.

He got about 15 lines in and, under his breath, he whispered, "You punk."

I made him add it to the sentence.

About 45 lines in, he started to cry. He begged me not to make him tell me that he hated me anymore. I made him finish and we had a long talk afterwards. He understood then, that words can be worse than weapons.

I wanted my son to understand that no matter what he is feeling, that saying 'I hate you!" is not appropriate. If you don't 'hate' me, don't tell me that.

Tell me you're angry. I wanted him to understand that saying 'I hate you' is some serious fucking shit to say to someone.

Better he learn now than if his friend walks out in the middle of a fight, a fight where he said something he didn't mean, the friend gets hit by a car and dies and my kid regrets his fucking words. Before they ring in his ears forever.

Don't say it unless you're prepared to deal with the consequences. If I saved him some regret later on by instilling in him to THINK before he speaks, then, I did my job as a parent.

So, yes, I would have made her drown the computer. And I would have made her look at me while she did it.

Destroying other people's shit is disrespectful, and so is humiliating them in public because you're being a whining little twat. And... saying shit you don't mean has a way of biting you in the ass.

She would have learned the lesson I meant to convey.

And, she'd have spent a month in her room thinking about it.

I get this guys sentiment, however twisted some people think it is.