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?

Same here tooblunt he doesn't strike me as a redneck inbreed, but a parent who's tried everything else, I'm still uncomfortable with it though.

As for snooping on her internet activity/facebook, I'm afraid I will be monitoring and snooping my children's internet activity until they are adults. They won't know I am, but I feel its my responsibility to do so, especially on the internet... not sure what makes it different to tailing your child when they go to youth club or out with their mates, I just think the internet is a dangerous place where its very easy to lose control and teens are particularly vunerable.

What a dick!

Serriously, what an overreaction. Had it been my kid that had posted that, I would've hauled them up for sure, but this guy's a twat. Get a grip on yourself Mister!

I can't look past the use of a gun, to discipline a child, how can that possibly be right? He is also lowering himself to her level, by doing, it on the internet for the world to see. I can't see how any of what he has done is the right thing!

There's nothing that teenager did that other teens are doing the world over. She's 15 FFS, and testing the boundaries.
A total over reaction on his part, first to humiliate her publicly and then to shoot the laptop.
Why didn't he give it away to someone, how is that teaching her the value of money?
Agree, what a dick.

I was with you until you said he shot the laptop.

I personally think he is wonderful

Teenagers are a breed to themselves, they become selfish and petulant and think the world owes them everything on a plate

This girl thought she was being clever by writing something quite nasty behind her parents back. On his facebook page he explains how he found out. It was nothing to do with snooping. Apparently, their dog has a facebook page, the girl forgot to block the dog - the letter turned up on the dogs page

The girl was rude and disrespectful and sneaky, dad obviously at the end of dealing with her ways. He showed her a valuable lesson

I wouldn't ever class reading what my daughter said on Facebook as snooping, I would class it as supervision.

I wouldn't shoot a laptop because I don't have money to waste, but it was a very big and final way of making his point. I can see why people are uncomfortable with it though.

All I can add is that the apple didn't fall far from the tree, did it?

The McHistrionics.

Their dog has a facebook page and he shot a computer.

How can he teach her the value of the dollar if he has just destroyed a valuable lap top? Surely he could have confiscated it, or sold it and donated the money.

Sounds like a nut job to me.

Their dog has a facebook page and he shot a computer.

If I were any good at hacking, I would be tempted to hack into their dog's facebook account and put up a post complaining about how little food I get, how my dog bed isn't soft enough and how mean they are to me.

He had warned her last time and she did it again so he was just Following through.

I think a lot of kids have an entitled attitude and are unwilling to do anything in house/ get a job and spend all day winging and bitching

TheVermiciousKnid

I bet he'd take out the chew-toy with an AK47...

I bet he'd take out the chew-toy with an AK47...

I bet the dog will have learned its lesson!

so its quite alright for teenagers to think that discipline should be meted out with the use of a gun? and this on a forum that sceams blue murder on every smacking debate i just dont get it! and i will scream next time someone says 'its because they are american and they have a different attitude to guns' they may well do, it dosent mean they are right though!

'She wants a .22 rifle just like mine'

Yet another reason to be glad to live in the UK.

'She wants a .22 rifle just like mine'

I bet she does...

I just knew that this would bring out the hand-wringers and liberals (and some close to anti-American sentiment too but hey, I'm used to that). Damn good for the father, perhaps the rude little princess will learn this time that it's not acceptable to disrespect her parents.

The comments about this 15 year old's "privacy" above, are you kidding? She's a child, the man is her father, she's using media which can at worst put her in danger. His rights to monitor his child's use of Facebook override any woolly liberal claims to "privacy".

Yes maths existed before calculators...but operations did before anaesthetic. Does not make modern ways wrong. The man is a philistine,

Pan, you're not alone... I thought he'd put them in like batteries...

Thing is, he and his wife raised her... should he not be taking some responsibilty for making her into a 'rude little princess' instead of blasting away and sticking the result on YouTube?

Maybe he'd argue that he is taking responsibility, by showing her that disrespect to her parents results in punishment, Lovecat?

I think it's beyond naive to think that if you parent really well, your teenagers will turn out to be hugely biddable. There are enough examples on here of people who seem to me to be very conscientious loving parents and who have teenagers who have been badly behaved at best, and gone off the rails at worst. There are so many other influences that come into play at a child grows older.