No matter how much we’d like to believe our kids are perfect, the stark truth is that none of them are.
Now, I’m not suggesting that most parents aren’t doing their jobs – far from it – merely that childhood is a steep learning curve, one in which virtually all participants will make mistakes they’ll look back on and regret.
What matters most in these situations isn’t the incident itself but how the child learns from it and moves forward.
This is why we introduce the concept of punishment early: when a child does something wrong, they must face the consequences of their actions. This teaches them a simple lesson and, hopefully, prevents them from repeating the same mistake.
Of course, punishments can vary in severity, ranging from a gentle reprimand to more impactful methods.
In any case, one dad’s choice for his daughter certainly falls into the latter category. She was caught making fun of another student at school who had lost all of her hair to chemotherapy. When her dad found out, he was far from impressed.
He decided to take steps to ensure she never did it again. He shaved her head bald so that she’d understand what it felt like to be in her victim’s shoes.
Needless to say, his method of punishment has drawn plenty of criticism online, but he isn’t fazed by any of it. On the contrary, he told CafeMom that he believes it was a perfectly acceptable reaction.
He also told CafeMom that his daughter is dating the other girl’s ex-boyfriend, which contributed to the drama.
“They were having an argument in class about 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. Not how I’ve raised my daughter to treat people, and it truly disgusted me to hear how she acted from her deputy principal. 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.”
Backlash
The dad is open about the fact that many people – the girl’s mother included – believe he took things too far by forcing her to shave her head.
“I came up with the punishment because I thought my daughter had an extreme lack of empathy for the girl she bullied,” he says.
“My daughter is aware of this, and that’s what really disgusted me about her behavior. It showed a total lack of empathy. I hoped that by going to school bald and experiencing what the other girl went through, she would learn a valuable lesson.”
What do you think? Was shaving his daughter’s head too extreme a punishment? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
