A Reddit user sought advice from the community after his wife reprimanded him for his approach to disciplining their daughter. Fellow users promptly offered their perspectives on the situation.
The original poster (OP) elaborated that their daughter, Brittany, and her friends had engaged in a discussion at school about various career choices. During this conversation, Brittany expressed her dislike for becoming a custodian or a plumber. This statement subsequently triggered problems both at school and within their family.
How Did the Father Humble His Daughter?
Brittany and her friends openly ridiculed professions they claimed they could never pursue. Unbeknownst to them, another student overheard their conversation and reported it to the teacher. This student took offense because their own father worked as a plumber. In response, the teacher asked Brittany and her friends to apologize to the offended student.
Apart from requiring an apology, the teacher also assigned detention as a consequence of their actions. However, this wasn’t the sole repercussion Brittany faced for her behavior.
When the OP learned of his daughter’s school punishment, he believed it was necessary to take it a step further. He didn’t want her to merely face consequences but also to grasp a profound lesson.
Upon Brittany’s return home, he instructed her to painstakingly clean their house with a toothbrush, a task that consumed approximately five hours. He clarified that he provided her with a new toothbrush once the job was completed. He explained that although Brittany already had daily chores involving house cleaning, they usually took only about an hour with conventional cleaning supplies. He wanted her to gain a meaningful understanding from this experience.
Once Brittany had completed her extensive cleaning duty, the OP engaged her in a lengthy conversation about respecting people’s professions and how her actions had disrespected other families.
The OP believed he had effectively imparted a valuable lesson to his daughter. However, when his wife, who worked longer hours than him, found out about the situation, she expressed anger. She contended that the punishment had gone too far, while the OP held a different perspective.
In the past, they had consistently agreed on the types of punishments for Brittany, and it didn’t occur to him to consult his wife before administering this particular discipline. Now, he was uncertain about whether he had gone too far in his approach and questioned if he was wrong in how he had punished Brittany.
What Did People Say?
OP turned to the Reddit community for advice, and many members affirmed his actions as being justifiable. Some even praised his effective parenting approach.
One commenter noted that Brittany appeared to require hands-on parenting, which OP had provided. Another commenter expressed the hope that Brittany would learn the value of all professions and carry this lesson into her adulthood.
The same commenter emphasized the importance of having fewer people who look down upon specific professions in the world.
However, there were others who believed that OP’s disciplinary measures were excessive, suggesting that he could have taught his daughter respect through alternative means.
