No more Xbox 360...

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Well played. Shock always works.

Another way would have been to buy a game for yourself, play it until your thumbs fall off, then take the controllers with your 8 fingers and hide them.

:)
 
Temo Vryce said:
I agree, if you don't have children you won't understand, you can't understand. Until you have lived in that situation you can't understand. It's like your parents telling you that you're living best time of your life and you'll miss it when it's gone.

It's not easy to do something like that to your own children but it's good to know that there are parents out there that are willing to take that stand.

Best of luck to you with your children in future endeavors.
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I don't have children, but I understand. Kids need a swift kick in the rear sometimes.
 
I wish my sister would do this. Have to spend every Sunday brunch at our parents' with their brat refusing to eat and trying to get my daughter hooked on his DS. His only 'punishment' for anything consists of taking the DS away for a few minutes.
 
To the OP.

Ignore the naysayers.. It doesn't seem like any of them have kids.

I applaud you. Sometimes you just need to drive a point home.
 
TheAmerican said:
Well played. Shock always works.
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Not really. In my experience it simply exchanges respect for fear. Yeah, you can keep a kid in line by beating them to within an inch of their life everyday, or by breaking all their things (which you paid for, so it's really very self-destructive anyway), but in the long run it does more harm than good, and the kids begin to act out in other ways.
 
NKDietrich said:
Not really. In my experience it simply exchanges respect for fear. Yeah, you can keep a kid in line by beating them to within an inch of their life everyday, or by breaking all their things (which you paid for, so it's really very self-destructive anyway), but in the long run it does more harm than good, and the kids begin to act out in other ways.
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Do you have Kids?
 
DeathFromBelow said:
+10000

If you've gotten to the point that you have to smash things in front of your kids to "teach them a lesson" then you clearly fucked up somewhere else down the line.

I think it would have been better to have packed it up (or made them pack it up) and then dropped it off at Goodwill. Breaking their shit just means that someday when they're in a position of control they'll think smashing other people's shit is the way you get things done.

I was one of 6 children. My parents were old school when it came to discipline and I got spanked a lot when I was a little kid. Guess what? We hardly ever got into trouble in the middle school/high school years. If my dad had done something ridiculous like this it would have greatly reduced my opinion of him.
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NKDietrich said:
Not really. In my experience it simply exchanges respect for fear. Yeah, you can keep a kid in line by beating them to within an inch of their life everyday, or by breaking all their things (which you paid for, so it's really very self-destructive anyway), but in the long run it does more harm than good, and the kids begin to act out in other ways.
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Different kids require different tactics. For some your statements may hold true, that is not the case for all. Assuming that the same holds true for all children is naive at best, stupidity at worst. I hold myself as an example, groundings and beatings had little effect on me as a kid. I was in the principles office nearly every other day. It was like a ritual at my house, my father came home and the first words out of his mouth were "What did you do today"? Finally my father smashed one of my favorite toys, i got the message. I certainly didn't fear him. That doesn't mean I will do the same thing for my child, I will figure out what works for her and that will be how I apply punishment.

TheBluePill said:
Do you have Kids?
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They clearly don't.
 
Reminds me of the late '80s when my dad would storm into my room and eject the game cartridge before I could save or power down the NES.
 
I just wanted to say good job. Sometimes extreme measures are needed in order to get results. This is especially true in the case of children.

While I don't condone violence to others or electronics you did what you felt you had to. Please be sure to take the time to let your kids know why you did what you did and how their behavior affects everyone in your household. Beyond that be sure to provide new rewards for success with their chores or studies, etc. And above all let them know you still love them. Once the shock of the action fades some if the structure is there to fill their time I'm sure they won't miss it for all that long.

Cheers.

~infinityvoid~
 
originally posted by DeathFromBelow
If my dad had done something ridiculous like this it would have greatly reduced my opinion of him.
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Then you are a shallow douchebag, who puts too much value into "stuff". Apparently you have not matured enough to appreciate your parents yet. On his deathbed would you say "Dad....remember that time when you totally went psycho and smashed my xbox...well that was a real asshole move."?
 
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I was raised with the firm instruction that NOTHING in the house was "mine"
That I was ALLOWED access to things.
My behavior dictated what, and for how long, I would be ALLOWED access.
If I attempted to cheat, and gain access to something I wasn't currently allowed.
IE the NES or otherwise, the item in question would be packed up by me, labeled, and put on the counter. If problematic behavior persisted, it would go from the counter to the garage. If I still hadn't caught on we'd go for a ride to the salvation army, where I personally would DONATE the infringing item to charity. After having that happen ONE TIME...you learn to straighten up.

Specially when you have to explain to the lady at the charity WHY your donating your brand new Nintendo to less fortunate children....I'll never forget having to explain that one...
 
DeathFromBelow said:
+10000

If you've gotten to the point that you have to smash things in front of your kids to "teach them a lesson" then you clearly fucked up somewhere else down the line.

I think it would have been better to have packed it up (or made them pack it up) and then dropped it off at Goodwill. Breaking their shit just means that someday when they're in a position of control they'll think smashing other people's shit is the way you get things done.

I was one of 6 children. My parents were old school when it came to discipline and I got spanked a lot when I was a little kid. Guess what? We hardly ever got into trouble in the middle school/high school years. If my dad had done something ridiculous like this it would have greatly reduced my opinion of him.
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Actually, yes, you are right that i clearly fucked up somewhere down the line for this to have to happen. Absolutly.

But, what you must realize, when things reached this level, THEY were in control. And that is something you simply can NOT allow a 9 and 10 year old to be, in control of anything. They are children. I took back control. It was a shock, but it worked, and they know I'M THE BOSS in the house. Thats the way it has to be.

When they grow up, they are more than welcome to leave and set their own rules.
 
NKDietrich said:
Not really. In my experience it simply exchanges respect for fear. Yeah, you can keep a kid in line by beating them to within an inch of their life everyday, or by breaking all their things (which you paid for, so it's really very self-destructive anyway), but in the long run it does more harm than good, and the kids begin to act out in other ways.
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Respect was already lost. Sounds to me like he had defined rules and consequences and followed through with them (grounding, etc.). If kids don't respect you for keeping to your word you have to define some new rules. Or better yet, stick to the old rules but don't tell them what the punishments are. And make them massive.

Eventually, they will find that behaving is easier than not. Start rewarding them for that and the dopamine reinforcement they used to get from gaming will kick in when their grades go up.
 
This reminds me of the unstable insanity my drunk parents (then mother after the divorce) exhibited on a daily basis. Sure you made a point, but you added alot of extra crap to it too. Future point makers, donate that to Child's Play or a local senior citizen home. Don't resort to what amounts to violence in front of your kids.
 
Varsis said:
I was raised with the firm instruction that NOTHING in the house was "mine"
That I was ALLOWED access to things.
My behavior dictated what, and for how long, I would be ALLOWED access.
If I attempted to cheat, and gain access to something I wasn't currently allowed.
IE the NES or otherwise, the item in question would be packed up by me, labeled, and put on the counter. If problematic behavior persisted, it would go from the counter to the garage. If I still hadn't caught on we'd go for a ride to the salvation army, where I personally would DONATE the infringing item to charity. After having that happen ONE TIME...you learn to straighten up.

Specially when you have to explain to the lady at the charity WHY your donating your brand new Nintendo to less fortunate children....I'll never forget having to explain that one...
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We had a good experience with giving to charity recently that they got to share. We had a Christmas tree at Church with the "Christmas wishes" ornaments from needy families around the area. On one of the ornaments was a request for a used computer to do school work on. I took that one. Let the boys build a Conroe Celeron system from scratch, got a display, the whole nine yards.. Load up windows and everything to give it as a gift. It was really uplifting, but i fear they just didnt get the message that what we could afford to give away to someone, was something they could not afford to even buy. :(
 
Jonao said:
This reminds me of the unstable insanity my drunk parents (then mother after the divorce) exhibited on a daily basis. Sure you made a point, but you added alot of extra crap to it too. Future point makers, donate that to Child's Play or a local senior citizen home. Don't resort to what amounts to violence in front of your kids.
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Im sorry you had to live through that.
 
I feel your pain with the kids. My kids are going through the same thing with thier Wii. I finally had to take it away and it has seemed to work well. The arguments over toys still continues but the do seem to get the point about losing privileges over the constant fighting.
On another note a friend of mine was in a store and his son was really being out of control. He gave a quick smack on the ass and a woman next to him gave him an attitude about disciplining his own son. He asked if it was better to spank him now or wait 10 years til he was stealing her purse. Sage advice if you ask me.
 
Being a parent should always take priority over being "cool" or a friend. Destroying it was a little over the top, I would have sold it and used the money on something else. Do what works best for you and your family, they are all that matters here on earth.

Vegas P11 said:
I feel your pain with the kids. My kids are going through the same thing with thier Wii. I finally had to take it away and it has seemed to work well. The arguments over toys still continues but the do seem to get the point about losing privileges over the constant fighting.
On another note a friend of mine was in a store and his son was really being out of control. He gave a quick smack on the ass and a woman next to him gave him an attitude about disciplining his own son. He asked if it was better to spank him now or wait 10 years til he was stealing her purse. Sage advice if you ask me.
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This woman is an idiot, and an example of what is wrong with society.
 
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theNoid said:
You sound like a responsible father, good job. Being a parent should always time priority over being "cool" or a friend.
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Thank You,

I Figure they have 6.5 Billion people on Earth that can be their friend. Only a couple can be their parent.
 
Good for you man, i support what you did. Material shit should not* run their lives that early on.

edit: typo
 
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kabob983 said:
You know, if you didn't want them addicted to videogames you shoulda bought 'em a Wii. I don't think it's possible to be addicted. :p
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Not true. My wife will stay up till 3 am playing Harvest Moon and similar types of games on the Wii.

Maybe I need try grounding her :)
 
My father did something similar with my Sega (out the door into a rainstorm, lol), and I'm a better person for it. I'm sure your kids will be too... Unless of course the OP went "bat$hit" crazy and threatened to off them both in the same manor. I think it was a pretty good way to impart a finality to the point. It was for me, and I'm grateful my father did it.

It sounds like those showing disapproval have some personal history that may not apply to this situation.
 
Yea Pill its funny.
But those kinds of things don't impact you as a child cause your so used to mom and dad PROVIDING for you. Your giving away something to charity, THEY aren't giving something away. Its not until THEY have to packup what little they do have and send it off to those less fortunate that the point rings home. Children, like most men, don't read hints well. We need blunt instruction. Most parents don't make their children WORK for what they give them.
My parents, made me scratch and pinch and struggle for what I would be given above and beyond food and shelter. Its not that they couldn't afford it, it was that I needed to "earn it".
It wasn't easy, but it wasn't anything near slave labor either. There were always clearly visible goals.

To this day I can't tell you enough how much I hated it, but appreciate it more then anything now that I'm old enough to see the wisdom in it, something at the time, I was blind to.
 
Vegas P11 said:
He gave a quick smack on the ass and a woman next to him gave him an attitude about disciplining his own son.
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Ughhh... few things in this world disgust me more than people with that attitude (obvously unless he's knocking teeth out or something). He should of reached over and smacked her too :D

I miss the old school... where it was common for your parents to deliver you an ass whooping in public (with other people pointing and laughing at you for being a little a-hole), leaving you in the car for a few mins while they went into the store, let you ride a bike (god forbid) without a helmet or allowed to lose a baseball game if your team sucked.

kids today are a bunch of pansies. They're being setup for failure
 
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Your kids are damn lucky to even have ever had the XBox to begin with.

I grew up in an atmosphere of "if you want it, go make money and buy it yourself" taken to the point that by the time I was sixteen, I owned virtually everything I had - from video games, to clothing, to my room's furniture. And I will definitely be raising my kids the same way.
 
Psychotext said:
Or... you could have given it to charity, and not appeared like a psychopath to your young kids.

What do I know though?
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He's a "psychopath" for smashing a video game console :confused:

I don't even know what to say to that comment...

OP good for you man! It's nice to see good parenting now a days.
 
Round of applause for a job well done!

When I was a kid around 10-12 years old... I didn't really do any chores since my Mom was stay-at-home and my Dad owned a business... Well-off parents raise well-off kids...

But I was never "given" anything except for the Christmas presents which were chosen wisely...

Eventually I wanted a computer... So, my parents set me up with a 'hypothetical' bank account, and every chore I did, they would add a few $'s into. Sweeping the kitchen is $1, doing dishes is $2, cleaning bathrooms $2, cleaning room is $2, things like that. Then there is outdoor chores, mowing the lawn, weeding the gardens, cleaning the house, cleaning the driveway.

Eventually I had saved up $1200 in this "bank account" and my parents bought me all the parts I asked for to build my own computer.

That started me on a path of being aware of technology, and being aware that you need to save up and buy, not get given and owe.

I suggest this to anyone because it worked VERY well for me!!
 
I had a similar experience with my son. Every time he came home from his mothers he would talk back, say rude things just to hurt, slam his bedroom door, ect. That all ended the day he came home and tried calling names and hitting. I walked into his room, where he was still sitting from an outburst, unplugged the little tv that was in there for the old vhs kids movies, and told him to follow me. We went out back to my truck where he watched me chuck the tv 4 feet up in the air and into my truck. I then explained to him that that kind of behavior was unacceptable in my house and if he chooses to continue it, I would throw away or sell something every time he acts that way and if there was nothing left to take away I would call the police and they would take him away. Needless to say, it was like someone flipped a switch in the boy. No more problems at school, not as much trouble at his mothers, all around he has become a better person. It sucks having to be that way, but the outcome was so worth it.
 
So... What I've gleaned from the first half of this thread is that anyone who disagrees with the OP is the object of visceral, world-shaking condescension. Is parenthood really only reserved for the most lazy individuals, those who sincerely wish to dominate another being through fear? Christ, get a fucking dog if that's the case.
 
MiG, sometimes kids learn bad habits from friends... sometimes bad habits need to be fixed... sometimes talking just won't do it.
 
Kangg said:
Sounds like you don't have any kids, otherwise you'd never make that statement.
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Uhh... you do realise that I wasn't telling him not to punish them (by getting rid of the machine), just that doing it that way really just makes you out to be a nutcase. Fine if you have to rule your kids through fear, but that's far from the only way.

koretex said:
He's a "psychopath" for smashing a video game console :confused:
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You're right, smashing up a piece of electronic equipment to teach your kids a lesson appears quite balanced. I said it would make him look like a psychopath, and it would.

I doubt his kids will fuck with him for a while, but that's fear, not respect.
 
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Rock on TBP. First it giveth then taketh away.

My dad has always been the law enforcement in our home and absolutely never let down his defenses until my sister and I matured. When we were kids, he'd ground us in our rooms... where we had a bunch of toys, so not sure if that ever worked.

Toward the end of middle school, I let my grades slip once and found myself grounded from Playstation during the weekdays for an entire school year. He didn't give a fuck if I didn't have homework either. Still, that sunk in and I blew through high school with good grades. When I graduated high school, that summer he decided I was dead weight if I didn't have a job.. so to coerce me into getting one, he slapped a timer on the cable modem cutting off my internet at 10pm.

He and my mom played a clever tag team game where he'd punish me without saying a word and my mom would have to tell me what I was doing wrong. I'm 23 now and we finally share some common ground and our relationship has never been stronger.
 
Nice to see parents taking a hardline with their children. Id have made them smash it themselves...
 
Good job on the excellent parenting.

And MiG, there's definitely some truth that sometimes you just gotta take it to the extreme. If you beat your kids (not a good idea), the pain goes away after a bit. Wash their mouth out with soap (again, not a good idea), the taste goes away. Smash their shit? You know damn well they won't forget it.

I say you keep an XBox controller just for kicks. Give them the XBox back (or at least the large pieces) and the controller (sell the games obviously), and tell them they can play it as much as they want now.

Oh also, I think the OP needs honorary GenMAy membership :D
 
MiG31_Foxhound said:
So... What I've gleaned from the first half of this thread is that anyone who disagrees with the OP is the object of visceral, world-shaking condescension. Is parenthood really only reserved for the most lazy individuals, those who sincerely wish to dominate another being through fear? Christ, get a fucking dog if that's the case.
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Never had kids huh?

"Dominating another being through fear.." ... I really dont know how to respond to something like this with a straight face. But, i will humor you and try. Domination and Control of your Child is not a bad thing at all when it is also coupled with love and a genuine desire for the child's well being. This is FAR from abuse or mistreatment of the child, the child needs structure, boundaries and when necessary, disciplinary action. My boys had several failings that i had to address, coveting a "toy" above their responsibilities and causing physical and emotional violence on a daily basis between both of them. They choose an inanimate object to obsess over and have given each other black eyes and bloody noses over, as well as screaming matches.

They were "in control" of their lives and had no fear of retribution, and were growing bolder in their actions daily.

As a parent, you MUST maintain a certain level of control, and instill a fear of consequence from authority. The real world is no different, i do not covet an object so much so that i will physically harm my neighbor. I have a fear of the consequences of that action from the police, the court, and my neighbor. that fear is basic and it leads to respect. To raise a child with no fear of consequences is setting them up for ultimate failure. Hence why i said this $200 game console's destruction is MUCH cheaper than Bail or a Funeral.

Domination, again, its not an "iron fist", but you must have control of your child. If they are having these emotional outbursts and issues over a video game at 10, what happens at 20 when they covet something else and have the physical ability to harm or kill someone? I had to show them that the path they were going down was wrong and that I am in control.
 
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Similar thing happened to me, except with the Atari 2600. Mother smashed it with a crowbar, then hammer, then rock, and finally ran over it with her Harley, put it in a paper bag & gave it back to me with a few curse words & a grin. But she did it because she didn't like my grandma buying me anything that would keep me inside.

In the end, I was sent to live with my grandparents & they bought me another 2600, since my grandma liked it more when I invited friends over & played inside.

Before you ask, I was very athletic & played outside just as much as inside, but I was accident prone. :D
 
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