AIBU in thinking that this gentleman should win The Parenting Award?

[StealthPenguin]

This video is eight minutes long, so for those that don't have time to watch it, I shall summarize.

Last year, this gentleman, Tommy Jordan, warned his daughter of the consequences if she were to do something stupid and inappropriate on Facebook. At the beginning of this month he was fixing her laptop (and installing $130 worth of software) when he managed to find a post on her Facebook wall that claimed her life was unfair, that she's a slave, and her "lazy-ass parents" make her "do shit for them". Not only this, but she goes on to exaggerate her chores list and curses to high heaven. She then deliberately hid it via her privacy settings so that her parents couldn't see it on her Facebook wall. She did this incorrectly, and the post showed up while Mr. Jordan was fixing her laptop.

He decided to read out this "letter to my parents", and he then addressed some of the issues on it. Firstly, that she refuses to get a part-time job, and only applied to one job because he handed her the application and watched her fill it out. Secondly, that her chores list is not that large. Thirdly, that she expects a new camera, new battery for her laptop, new phone and software upgrades whenever she needs it. She also referred to a woman who couldn't afford to pay Mr. Jordan in conventional terms as their "cleaning lady".

After 6 minutes of discussing how wrong she is, how insulting and upsetting and disrespectful she is being, and how she was warned of the consequences, he proceeds to put eight rounds of ammunition into her laptop. Seven for him, and one on behalf of her mother.

Not only does she now not have a laptop, but she won't get one until she pays for it herself. She also owes him for the ammunition that he used.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's perfect. I would never be so disrespectful to my parents, and if I were then I'd probably suffer a similar punishment!

He has explained that his reasons for doing it are a) to teach her of the value of a dollar. If she has everything handed to her, she'll just assume that her parents are going to bankroll her. b) to teach her that what is said on the internet will last a lifetime, if not a good few years. So by being so horrible on a public forum she has humiliated herself and her family. c) That his word is to be taken as gospel, and that there are consequences to her actions.

I think he's very sensible to have done that - it's a dramatic and drastic action, but in his own words "sometimes with teenagers you have to be dramatic".

What do you all think?

[troisgarcons]

American I assume.

All well and good until she puts 8 rounds of ammo into her father :|

[welliesandpyjamas]

He shot the laptop?? (read your post, didn't click on link)

[Magneto]

I agree, hopefully it's a lesson learned to his daughter.

[asiatic]

He should have sold the laptop and brought his wife a present with the profit!

[Tee2072]

I haven't actually watched the video but I've seen it mentioned.

Thanks for the synopsis.

And I think that dad rocks!

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Havent' got time to watch it at the moment but will come back.
Why would you put ammuntiion in a computer. Is it bullets and the like or am I thicker than originally thought?

[welliesandpyjamas]

Something went wrong with mutual respect and manners in that family a long time before she posted that on FB.

[StealthPenguin]

Yes, he shot the laptop.

I think it was perfect, to be honest. If he'd gotten rid of it then she wouldn't have learnt about how to behave in a public forum, and now that the video has gone viral she's fully aware of the worst-case scenario that can occur from posting things on the internet. Especially things that aren't true.

Utter genius.

[Hairynigel]

I'm on the fence with this one. I can see why he wants to teach her a lesson about respect and paying for stuff yourself, blah blah blah, but I don't think her crime was that bad. She was only having a typical teenage whinge about life, surely that's what all teenagers do? Just seems a bit dramatic to me

[LineRunner]

He's got a gun. A loaded gun. At home. And he shoots it.

If that was Bill Smith from Derby he'd be locked up.

[troisgarcons]

If smashing up property (that he bought) is teaching respect then way-to-go and high-five it. If publically humiliating your children is good parenting then then I cant wait for the grandchildren .....

[Magneto]

She has no respect and humiliated her parents for the world (or the community at least) to see. So he did it back to her. She's old enough to know not to behave like that.

[LineRunner]

But he's got a gun.

[Northernlurker]

Oh yes outstanding parenting - publicly (as in worldwide) humilate your vulnerable child and then resolve the issue with a gun. Wow! Give that man a gold star (and then lock him up for being a bully - how did 'fixing her laptop' involve him looking at her Wall. He was snooping!)

[Magneto]

linerunner it's America. They all have guns .

Have you never watched American tv?

[mad4]

absolutely brilliant

Lets hope that spoilt little princess does learn the value of the dollar as a result
but sadly the internet fame may have the opposite effect

[welliesandpyjamas]

How old is she?

[Magneto]

She's 15, he's allowed to snoop afaik.

[StealthPenguin]

I'm with Magneto.

She's done stuff like this in the past, and was punished for it. She promised never to do it again, and then did it again. He probably thought of a million different ways to punish her, but none would have the severity to hammer home the point that you don't disrespect your parents to the rest of the community like that.

Incidentally, his daughter is now happy that he destroyed her laptop, and it's taught her a valuable lesson. He's also been cleared by both the police and the US Social Services. Even the police department told him "Kudos".

[Magneto]

I meant afaic

[trice]

They sound like a couple of drama queens. You can see where she gets it from.

[coraltoes]

Wrong on a fuckload of levels.

1- massive waste of a laptop, expensive, stupid, wasteful...give it to a poor kid if you don't want her to have it

2- you have used a gun in front of your daughter. Fuckwit.

3- you have shown her you too have no respect for property and are unale to reason without violent action

4- you have not only used a gun but used it to make a worthless point, trivialising the risks of using and owning such a weapon.

5- he was snooping, you don't see somebody's Facebook when you fix their computer. You log on, and read it actively. Snoop. Kids need privacy, they need outlets for frustration. They do not hate you full stop, they might hate you for a moment, be the grown up.

[StealthPenguin]

And the "internet fame" has taught her that what goes out there can't come back.

He's turned down offers of talk shows, radio shows and even his own reality TV program on CBS because he doesn't want to teach his daughter that it's OK to profit from someone's humiliation.

He never intended this to go so far, he just video'd the reply and posted it on her daughters wall.

[coraltoes]

Thank god I live in a country where you would be locked up for using a gun around a child...let alone owning one. "kudos" ???? Sums up the American police attitude really. Shoot now ask later.