Dad Forces Son to Destroy Xbox Because of Low Grades - Parenting Yay or Nay? [Poll]

A punishment for a son that got bad grades may make this dad either receive a compliment for being a great father or criticism for being heartless. According to Yahoo! Parenting, a video making its rounds online shows a father forcing his son to destroy his Xbox after getting low grades.

In the video, which now has 42,000 views, a student named Jason is seen destroying his Xbox using a sledgehammer. The video's title is, "Good Parenting: Father Makes His Son Destroy One of His Xbox Consoles For Failing In School!" In the background, the dad was heard saying "he's had three weeks." Apparently, the dad referred to the fact he gave his son three weeks to get good grades. The son replied to his dad's statement by saying, "It's not my fault."

The video elicited reactions that range from approval to condemnation. Jerry Piscitelli, a YouTube viewer, said:

"Maybe he should have been monitoring his son along the way with his grades instead of looking at the end result. I believe in discipline, but I really think the discipline should have started months before this. Sorry Dad, you should have been tuned into the amount of time he was on video games before they affected his grades."

According to Maxconsole.com, YouTube user, Just Another Gaming Gurl, commented:

"Good. The parents bought it so they can do what they want with it. You don't reward bad grades."

YouTube user Will Moore also said, "I am all for punishment and discipline because it was how I was raised and came out better for it but this just doesn't achieve anything just builds resentment."

Meanwhile, psychologist and parenting coach, Laura Markham, told Yahoo! Parenting that she compliments the dad for caring, but curbing kids doesn't start and end with video games.

"I think it's great that this is an involved dad who cares how is son is doing and is willing to set limits, but grades don't start when you get the report card, and three weeks isn't enough time to get good grades. Kids get good grades by keeping up with their school work every day and this is too late."

Empowering Parents stated in one of its articles, though, parents should not neglect their kids' possible addiction to video games. The article encouraged parents to resolve, instead of, shrugging off the problem as a minor issue.

Dad Forces Son to Destroy Xbox Because of Low Grades - Parenting Yay or Nay? [Poll]