# What's the "Meanest" Thing You Ever Did To Your Kid, "For His/Her Own Good" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 30, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746 "2009-10-30T17:28:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/61 "2009-11-05T02:08:13Z")
Haha some of these stories are pretty great. My evolutionary drive must not be broken because reading this thread hasn’t yet made me want to avoid having kids. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/62 "2009-11-05T02:43:15Z")
I don’t have children, but I understand and agree with the decisions that you all have made as parents. It’s easy to say “yes”, and let kids do what they want and get away with what they want. It’s hard to say “no” and follow through. But doing so is much better for the children in the long run. And eventually, they will appreciate the lessons they’ve learned. But if you don’t take the actions and make sure there are consequences, there are no lessons. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/63 "2009-11-05T03:15:14Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > I did something similar to this, only… Oh, God. I hate to admit it. It was on Christmas Day and I temporarily threw all my son’s gifts in the trash. > > … > Once he did, he came to me and apologized and asked if we could open gifts. I thought about it for a minute and said yes. > > I’m not proud of what I did last Christmas, but he’s never forgotten it and has never even attempted to throw something at me - or anyone else - again in anger (this was after the stuffed animal throwing incident). My husband’s mom caught him picking at his Christmas presents. She waited until he fell asleep on Christmas Eve and took them away. Until two weeks later. He never picked again. I think that may have been a little harsh - but it suits her. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/64 "2009-11-05T03:16:09Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Making my kids finish out something (e.g., swimming class) when they wanted to quit halfway through. You made a commitment, you stick with it. In my son’s case, he just sat by the side of the pool and refused to go in, but he went and sat every week until the 6 weeks were up. My parents actually went further than that: they signed me up for swimming lessons whether I wanted them or not. And I had to pass ALL seven levels, no matter how many times I had to repeat them. I’m glad I’m able to swim, but come on, all seven levels? Surely four would’ve been sufficient. 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/65 "2009-11-05T09:09:51Z")
**Overlyverbose** , something like that would have made me go Homer Simpson on his ass. Ohhh I just thought of one! So EvilDaughter was about 4 years old, and we were waiting in line at the grocery store, chock full of people and also with a full cart. She was bugging us to buy a little toy she found on an endcap, and I said no, I didn’t want to buy it and to put it back. After awhile she put it back and finally stopped asking about it. While loading the groceries into the car she was playing with the toy she’d been asking about before. I was… upset. I finished loading the groceries into the car, told her she **STOLE FROM THE STORE** and she was going to give it _BACK RIGHT NOW_ and marched her ass back into the store, right to customer service. I asked for the manager and tried to put on the Most Serious Face I could. I informed him that she stole something from his store and made her give back the $1.89 toy. She started bawling and screaming (in a crowded store, mind you, in front of God and everyone)\*\* I DON’T WANT TO GO TO JAIL WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! \*\*The poor manager, he turned red and tried really hard to keep a straight face. He told her not to do it again and he’d call the police next time. It was both heart wrenching and hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/66 "2009-11-05T14:15:27Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Making my kids finish out something (e.g., swimming class) when they wanted to quit halfway through. You made a commitment, you stick with it. In my son’s case, he just sat by the side of the pool and refused to go in, but he went and sat every week until the 6 weeks were up. Yeah, years ago, my parents nearly gave me a nervous breakdown because of a similar rule. I don’t really recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/67 "2009-11-05T14:38:06Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > I don’t have children, but I understand and agree with the decisions that you all have made as parents. It’s easy to say “yes”, and let kids do what they want and get away with what they want. It’s hard to say “no” and follow through. But doing so is much better for the children in the long run. And eventually, they will appreciate the lessons they’ve learned. But if you don’t take the actions and make sure there are consequences, there are no lessons. I agree, and it’s not just the kids who will appreciate it – so will everyone else who deals with them. Big kudos from me to all the “mean” parents in this thread. Thanks for making your kids into civilized human beings! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746/68 "2009-11-08T03:59:54Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I finished loading the groceries into the car, told her she **STOLE FROM THE STORE** and she was going to give it _BACK RIGHT NOW_ and marched her ass back into the store, right to customer service. I asked for the manager and tried to put on the Most Serious Face I could. I informed him that she stole something from his store and made her give back the $1.89 toy. She started bawling and screaming (in a crowded store, mind you, in front of God and everyone)\*\* I DON’T WANT TO GO TO JAIL WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! \*\*The poor manager, he turned red and tried really hard to keep a straight face. He told her not to do it again and he’d call the police next time. It was both heart wrenching and hilarious. T That is so awesome. These stories are cracking me up. Thanks for sharing, everyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-meanest-thing-you-ever-did-to-your-kid-for-his-her-own-good/515746.md?page=3)