Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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

284 replies

StealthPenguin · 11/02/2012 08:11

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?

OP posts:
PattiMayor · 11/02/2012 18:30

Lueji - he was outside, there were no children around.

tethersend · 11/02/2012 18:30

Apparently so, usual; but nobody's mentioned it.

TheVermiciousKnid · 11/02/2012 18:31

It seems a bit like trying to teach you kids not to hit others by hitting them. He is trying to teach his daughter to respect and value her possessions by destroying them.

Exactly. And he is trying to 'teach' her not to be horrible to, or humiliate, people by ... being horrible to her and humiliating her on the internet.

What a clueless, ignorant nutter.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:32

Just watched the actual shooting bit.

Sympathy all gone. He's making implied threats to her. He's swinging his dick and showing her what you do when you are angry. Bad bad bad

TheVermiciousKnid · 11/02/2012 18:32

Tethersend, you'll never believe this, but I've heard rumours that ... the dog has a facebook account! Shock The dog is probably on Mumsnet as well.

PattiMayor · 11/02/2012 18:33

The bullets were really a bit disappointing. They just made holes in it like someone had drilled through it. No fizzing or anything dramatic

tethersend · 11/02/2012 18:34

THE DOG HAS A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT.

INeverFinishAnythi · 11/02/2012 18:34

I agree with the sentiment, but the shooting the laptop was pure macho posturing. Give it to charity or something. What a stupid waste. He just did that bit so we'd all think what a massive cock he must have. IMO he just made himself look the massive cock.

Kids do silly things. Raging hormones, peer pressure, trying to look cool... It's a difficult time. Agree she was disrespectful, and sanctions should be imposed, but that's private business. Airing your business on YouTube, to a global audience is ridiculous and will only drive her further away.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:35

The dog? A Facebook account? Noooooo?

TheVermiciousKnid · 11/02/2012 18:35

Let's hope the dog pees on his laptop.

Lueji · 11/02/2012 18:41

Did I hear it right? He mentioned something about parents putting a bullet through their kids ass? Hmm

Sirzy · 11/02/2012 18:47

What an idiot. How is his behaviour going to teach her anything what what a prat her father is?

If they want respect from her perhaps they should show her some respect.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:47

Yes, it sounds like bullet, although it could be bug

chippy47 · 11/02/2012 18:48

Tethers- lots of pets have FB accounts(no pets here so not guilty) so move on. It is not that unusual.
And get beyond the he's got a gun shocker. Based on the state gun ownership will be high and on my experience the daughter will have used one numerous times either at the range or hunting. It is not a big issue in context.
She fucked up, he punished her as he said he would. Equivalent to someone in the UK taking an axe to something. Apparently in the wrong hands axes can be smart a bit.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:49

Lots of people are Total twonks, apparently

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:50

It's hard to get beyond the thing that is the Whole Point

tethersend · 11/02/2012 18:50

chippy, I'm not sure you understand- the dog has a Facebook account.

You tell me to move on as if it's that easy; but I can't chippy, I JUST CAN'T.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 18:51

Also, I'd think someone who took an axe to a laptop and posted it on YouTube was a dicksplash

TheVermiciousKnid · 11/02/2012 18:55

Quite. Taking an axe to it would not make it any less idiotic. It would just make me think, 'Here's a twat who has completely lost control.'

StealthPenguin · 11/02/2012 19:11

So what would you do, then? Just trying to gauge what is considered a "suitable" punishment.

Your teenage daughter, who is lazy, disrespectful and belligerent, did something that culminated in her being grounded for three months and her laptop taken away from her. This improves her behaviour for about 3 months and then she slips back into her old ways, except this time it's worse. You then find out that, while doing her a favour that costs you both time and money, she has done exactly the same thing as she did before.

What kind of punishment would you bestow upon her, considering that being grounded and being unable to access her laptop didn't work?

OP posts:
tethersend · 11/02/2012 19:15

What would I do?

It's a tough one... but I think I'd probably go with not shooting a laptop.

Have you much experience of teenagers, StealthPenguin?

THE DOG HAS A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT.

notfluffyatall · 11/02/2012 19:16

Hmm, how would I punish a teenager for being a teenager? I wouldn't.

LineRunner · 11/02/2012 19:17

I would love her, for a start.

OriginalJamie · 11/02/2012 19:20

Is she lazy belligerent etc or does she just like a good old moan? Having done it once, I'd assume such punishments weren't getting at the root of whatever problem she's got. I think that the original punishment was Ott and has made her belligerent

I'd delete the FB account so she can't use that forum to moan, and I would insist she got a job to pay for her phone bills

TotemPole · 11/02/2012 19:20

She sounds like a typical teenager. I'd have taken the laptop away again. Only to be used supervised for doing school work.

The dad likes the sound of his own voice. That video is 2-3 minutes too long.

Swipe left for the next trending thread