As parents, we all aim to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. Sometimes, however, despite our best efforts, things don’t go as planned. One father faced this dilemma when he discovered his daughter was bullying a girl with cancer at school. In a particularly cruel act, his daughter even pulled off the other girl’s wig. Understandably furious, the father decided to step in, but his method of punishment has sparked quite a debate online. After receiving considerable backlash, he eventually took down his post explaining his actions.
“My ex-wife and I have a 16-year-old daughter together, and I have full custody while she has moved on with her new family. Recently, my daughter got into trouble at school for bullying a student undergoing cancer treatment, even going as far as to pull off her wig,” he wrote in his post.
“Apparently, there is some pre-existing bad blood between them, but that doesn’t excuse her behavior.”
As it turned out, his daughter was now dating the other girl’s ex-boyfriend, which had led to tension between them.
“At one point, the other girl mentioned how my daughter’s boyfriend was just using her for sex. This shocked me as I had no idea she was sexually active. She then called my daughter a derogatory name, which escalated the situation and led to the wig incident. Apparently, they have been arguing since my daughter started dating the guy in question. Typical teenage drama,” the father shared with CafeMom.
Faced with this troubling situation, the father gave his daughter two punishment options: he could either throw away all her electronics, or she could go to the hairdresser and get a bald haircut. She chose the latter and went to school with a shaved head.
“…Everyone thinks I went way overboard. Her mother went ballistic at me, saying it would make her a target for bullying. But that was kind of the point—to teach her some compassion,” the father wrote.
While the father felt he made the right choice, opinions on the internet were divided. A lot of people took the time to voice their thoughts. One comment read, “Your daughter is a bully because you are a bully. I doubt this is the first time you’ve used abuse and humiliation to ‘teach her a lesson.’” Another person added, “There’s a term for what you did. It’s called child abuse. Taking away her electronics or grounding her would have been appropriate punishments. But disrespecting her right to bodily autonomy and humiliating her is not. She’s unlikely to learn from it, and it could perpetuate a cycle of bullying.”
However, there were also those who praised his parenting. “I support your decision completely. You’re her parent, so you have every right to do this. It’s not abusive, it’s real life. If she’s comfortable attacking someone for something they have no control over, she needs to see how it feels,” someone in support wrote.
“She will understand the impact of her actions on the victim and that will teach her a valuable lesson,” another supporter added.
So, what do you think? Did the father go too far with the punishment? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
