As parents, we strive to teach our children the difference between right and wrong, but sometimes our efforts fall short. One father faced a tough situation when he found out his daughter had been bullying a classmate with cancer.
The situation escalated to the point where his daughter pulled off the girl’s wig, leaving the father furious. He decided to handle the issue himself, choosing a punishment that sparked a lot of debate online.
The father later removed his post after receiving criticism for how he dealt with his daughter’s behavior.
“My ex-wife and I have a 16-year-old daughter, and I have full custody since my ex has moved on with her new family. Recently, my daughter got into trouble at school for making fun of a student who lost her hair due to cancer treatment. She even pulled off the girl’s wig,” he began his post.
“There’s some existing bad blood between them, but that doesn’t excuse her actions.”
It turned out that the tension arose because his daughter was now dating the other girl’s ex-boyfriend.
“At some point, the other girl mentioned that my daughter’s boyfriend was just using her for sex. This shocked me because I had no idea she was sexually active. She also called my daughter a sl*t,” the father shared.
“That led to the wig incident. They’ve been arguing in class ever since my daughter started dating this guy. It’s basically just teenage drama.”
In an effort to teach his daughter a lesson, he gave her two choices: he would destroy all her electronics, or she could shave her head. His daughter chose the latter and went to school with a bald head.
“Everyone thinks I went too far. Her mother was furious, saying this would make her a target for bullying (which was kind of the point, to teach her some empathy),” the father wrote.
Although many disagreed with him, he believed he did the right thing. Numerous people shared their opinions on the situation. One person commented: “Your daughter is a bully because you are a bully. This is probably not the first time you’ve used abuse and humiliation to ‘teach her a lesson.’”
Another added: “What you did is called child abuse. Taking away her electronics or grounding her would have been appropriate. Disrespecting her bodily autonomy and humiliating her is not. She’s unlikely to learn from this and it could perpetuate a cycle of bullying.”
However, some praised his approach. “I support your decision completely. As her parent, you have every right to do this. It’s not abusive, it’s real life. If she’s comfortable attacking someone for something beyond their control, she needs to understand how it feels,” wrote one supporter.
Another added: “She will realize the impact her actions have on others, which will teach her an important lesson.”
What are your thoughts? Do you think the father’s punishment was too harsh? Share your opinion in the comments below.
Please SHARE this story with your family and friends on Facebook.
