Here's a bit of parenting that is the embodiment of being cruel to be kind. Or actually, being cruel to make kind.
After a Canadian mother learned that her nine-year-daughter had been acting like an 'asshole' at school, she decided to show her kid that bullying is not cool. How, you ask? By stripping her daughter's bedroom absolutely bare and turning it into 'Mommy's Juvenile Detention Centre' instead.
As well as clearing the room of all her daughter's belongings, the mother's punishment involved forcing her child to wear the same items of clothes - an 'anti-bullying' outfit - for a week.
She always made her daughter write out, Bart Simpson-style, a series of phrases 50 times each. Sentences included 'I will not lie', 'I will be kind to everyone' and 'I am responsible for my own actions'. Sadly, 'I will not be an asshole to other people' doesn't seem to have made the cut, but maybe the girl's mother is saving that one for when she's a teenager.
This all sprang to light via a post on Facebook - what else? - made by the girl's mum.The post laid out the mother's reasoning behind her rather draconian, prison-esque punishment.
"Welcome to Mommy's Juvenile Detention little girl.
"Harsh? Not in my opinion. If she grows up to break the law then the result is jail and that's not what I want for my children.
"I think the problem with this generation is inadequate punishment.
"Punishment is bad, we should only use positive reinforcement and ignore all bad behaviour - NOT in this house."
Her mum said that she received the punishment for bullying her best friend and skipping classes.
That said, it seems to have worked. The mother said the girl became 'very remorseful and apologetic' for what she'd done.
After a few responses on the Facebook post suggesting that the punishment was a bit extreme, the girl's mother reduced the punishment to 25 lines of each phrase, instead of 50, and gave her daughter four anti-bullying t-shirts instead of just one.
And the daughter can earn back her belongings through good behaviour. It seems likely that either her daughter is going to become a model citizen or she's going to rebel and become intolerable after this. We hope it's the former, but we're not so sure.
Featured Image Credit: FacebookTopics: Viral, Parenting, Community, USA