People Discuss The Worst Punishment That They Were Ever Given As Kids And Some Of Them Are Lowkey Messed Up

Some childhood punishments stick with people for years, and this Reddit thread is full of the kind that clearly never left. A simple question about the worst punishment people ever got as kids turned into a stream of stories about harsh discipline, weird consequences, and parents who took things way too far.

The people sharing these memories describe everything from being isolated in their rooms to being humiliated in front of friends, and a few of the punishments sound genuinely disturbing. What makes the thread hit harder is how many of these stories still feel fresh decades later.

Some of these replies are hard to read, but they make one thing obvious, a lot of people never forgot the way they were punished. Read on.

Just a fancy star, kind of?

“My mom said I couldn’t have a best friend anymore because my best friend and I were drawing pentagrams on MS Paint at our after-school program, pretending they were transmutation circles from an anime called Fullmetal Alchemist (pentagrams are much easier for a 9-year-old to draw than an intricate alchemy array).My mom immediately jumped to the conclusion that this was devil worshipping, despite my friend and I not even knowing what a pentagram really meant. This led to my mom telling every single teacher and after-school care worker not to allow me to be anywhere near my friend.My friend moved away, and my mom wouldn’t let me email her to stay in touch. I’m 24 now and haven’t had any close friends since. Christina, if you’re out there, I still miss you.”

Research indicates that harsh punishments can have long-lasting negative effects on a child's psychological development.

Wonder why it didn't (But glad it is better now!)

“Beatings will continue until your morale improves.”In all seriousness.Life got better, and I never see my dad anymore. He and my mom ask when I’m having kids and why I haven’t seen them in years, despite living probably 30 minutes from them.”

That one took a dark turn fast.

That's messed up.

“When I was around 6 years old, my stepdad woke me up in the night by pulling me out of bed and yelling that I had gotten pee on the toilet seat.He took me out on the front porch, and while he was paddling me, the rail I was bracing against broke, and I fell off the porch.”

You can't just pretend that never happened...

“When I was in year 2 (UK), so six or seven years old, I was an unruly child, to say the least. I was undiagnosed with ADHD. My mum had enough and told me I was getting adopted. I distinctly remember telling classmates I was leaving to live somewhere else.My mum made me tidy my room and take what I wanted in a bag, and I went to my auntie's house (my mum's sister) to wait for the lady to pick me up. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I must have, and I woke up in my auntie's spare bedroom. She took me to school that day, and my mum picked me up, and I went home as if nothing had happened.Years later (I’m in my late thirties now), I brought this up to my mum, and she acts like it never happened. Her exact words were, “You’re living in a fantasy; that never happened.” So yeah, that messed with my head quite a bit.”

That kind of denial can hit almost as hard as the punishment itself.

Longest 6 weeks ever

“My mum took everything out of my room except a blanket. My radio, books, toys-you name it.I was locked in there for the UK summer holidays. They are six weeks long.”

With no apology

“I was grounded for 6 months straight, which meant I was locked in my room (not with an actual physical lock), and I wasn’t allowed to leave except for dinner, the bathroom, and to go to school. I had zero toys; I owned no books. I had nothing to do but get lost in my head, and at one point my radio was taken away, so I was left in complete silence. I was between 10 and 13.Why was I grounded? My dad thought either my brother or I stole his camera and sold it, and until we told him who did it, we were both grounded. Finally, after 6 months, he cleaned his room and found his camera and said we were ungrounded; we never even got an apology.After that, my dad continued to ground me for blocks of months at a time. I ended up being grounded and isolated for 1.5 years total between 10 and 13 years old. Being trapped in my head for that long has messed me up mentally, permanently.”

This is the same kind of petty betrayal as a mom donating her kid’s childhood toys without asking, then demanding a loan.

NO

“In the 1980s, my father was a radioman and often had spare parts lying around.Whenever I was rebellious toward him, he was fond of whipping my bare back with a metal radio antenna.”

Even worse

“My mom pulled down my pants and hit me with the brush side of a hairbrush… in front of my three fellow 5-year-old friends.I was innocent. She didn’t believe me.”

Ugh. Also bizarre punishment

“I got put on restriction for 6 months for doing something my mom said I could do. But then she said she never gave me permission to do it, even though another adult was sitting there and confirmed he heard her give me permission to do it.I also had to pick up all the rocks in the vacant lot next to our house and put them in a pile on weekends as part of the punishment.”

WHAT

“My uncle would have me stand in a T-pose and hold books. Not too bad.Then I had to stand on my toes. Then he would put nails sticking up under my heels. He would dare me to relax.”

That's intense

“I was driven about 30 minutes outside of my city to an isolated, large, and creepy-looking building, which I was told was an orphanage.I was given the choice of 'telling the truth' and admitting to something I had not done or being left there.I am 38 and still think about this from time to time.”

Rock moving punishments appear to be common?

“The pointless ones.We had landscaping rocks in our yard from an unfinished project; they were probably 30 lbs each.After a number of other punishments failed, my parents came up with the 'move rocks' punishment. I'd have to move 30 or so of these rocks 50 yards, set them up into a particular shape (square, circle, etc.), have my parents check them, and then move them all back.The pointlessness of it all was the worst.”

Some of these punishments were less about discipline and more about control.

Positive discipline strategies can help mitigate the adverse effects of harsh punishments.

The exploration of punishment within the context of parenting exposes deep-seated issues in parent-child dynamics. In the Reddit thread discussing childhood punishments, many users shared experiences that highlight the often misguided rationale behind punitive measures. Instead of fostering empathy, these stories reveal a tendency to perpetuate cycles of trauma, as parents justify their harsh disciplinary methods by referencing even worse experiences from their own childhoods.

This cycle of justifying harsh treatment under the guise of tradition can lead to detrimental effects on relationships as children grow into adults. The narratives shared in the thread illustrate the urgent need for a shift toward more understanding and compassionate disciplinary practices, which could help dismantle the legacy of punitive measures that many respondents experienced.

The Cycle of Trauma

Many parents perpetuate cycles of trauma unknowingly, often believing that harsh punishments are a form of discipline.

The stories shared in the Reddit thread highlight the deep emotional scars that can result from punitive parenting practices. Many comments reflect a troubling cycle where harsh punishments are justified by referencing even worse experiences from previous generations. This mindset not only perpetuates a culture of fear but also disregards the significant psychological impact these experiences can have on children.

Instead of fostering emotional resilience, these punitive measures often lead to long-term mental health issues. The conversation suggests a pressing need for parents to shift towards more compassionate approaches, prioritizing empathy and understanding over traditional forms of discipline. By embracing supportive parenting techniques, individuals can break this cycle and contribute to a healthier future for their children, one that values nurturing environments over outdated punitive measures.

After the mom banned a best friend over “devil worship” pentagrams, see how siblings’ friends exploded in this AITA about calling out toxic behavior.