15 Weird Punishments People Got As Children

Jordan Claes
Kids having a pillow fight on the bed.
Unsplash | Allen Taylor

Kids and their parents have a very special reciprocal kind of relationship. The former is constantly finding new ways to get themselves in trouble while the latter is tasked with inventing new methods of punishing them for it.

As a kid who spent the bulk of his adolescence staring at the same four walls of his bedroom, I thought I'd seen it all. But after reading some of these strange and truly bizarre punishments, it would appear that I got off easy.

I'm not a crook.

Picture of Richard Nixon.
Unsplash | Library of Congress

"My best friend and I snuck out and walked to the nearby convenience store late at night in 6th grade. My father made me write a 20 page[sic] research paper on Watergate. I have no idea why he chose the topic but the knowledge has come in handy many times in my life." - Reddit u/pandathrowaway

If you think you're hungry now, just wait.

Family eating dinner.
Unsplash | Tyson

Reddit user Volrum-'s dad used to hate it when the kids would complain about how long meal prep was taking. Whenever anyone would voice their displeasure, their dad made them wait until everyone had finished dinner before he'd allow them to eat.

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

Close-up of a bag of glitter.
Unsplash | Jack Van Hel

One time while Reddit user PoisonOfInterest's brother was taking a bath, they dumped a container of glitter over his head. As payback, their parents dumped an entire bag of glitter on their bed and made them count the individual particles.

Straight out of Gordon Ramsay's book.

Gordon Ramsay putting bread on a person's face.
Giphy

Redditor bopeepsheep recalls a time when they refused to eat their sandwich. The mounting frustration became too much for their mother to bear, and she wound up separating the two pieces of bread and sticking them to their face.

Fair is foul and foul is fair.

Denzel Washington in 'Macbeth'.
Giphy | A24

"My sisters and I would have to memorize passages from Shakespeare together. It was horrible to be fighting and then sit together for half an hour or more memorizing and reciting until my dad returned." - Reddit u/trinketsofdeceit

That's it — get out of your room!

Guest bedroom.
Unsplash | Blake Woolwine

When kids are bad, most parents will send them to their rooms. But according to Redditor Austifox, their parents did the exact opposite. You never realize how much stuff is in your room until you aren't allowed to enter it.

Bad child, very bad child.

Kid walking the dog.
Unsplash | Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Redditor jtd1537 used to have a nasty habit of biting their sister. One day, their mother decided enough was enough and fit them with a dog collar/leash and made them wear it for several hours.

I bet you're a whiz at Trivial Pursuit.

Oscar from 'The Office'.
Giphy | The Office

Reddit user brineakay said that whenever she would step out of line, her parents would grab an encyclopedia from the shelf, turn to a random page, and make her copy down everything written until they told her to stop.

This is why you should always brush your dog's teeth.

Black and white Aussie Shepherd.
Unsplash | Baptist Standaert

When Redditor elblurpo was young and would get caught cursing, their father used to make them literally smell the dog's breath. His rationale was that if he had to deal with the filth from your mouth, you'd have to deal with the filth from its mouth.

Exactly how red is "red enough"?

Homer getting pulled by the ear by Marge in 'The Simpsons'.
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"I had to kneel facing a wall while pulling my ears and if my ears weren’t red enough when they came to check on me then I had to stay there even longer." - Reddit u/jesuschin

I'm going to need 3000 words on my desk by tomorrow morning.

Pen writing on paper.
Unsplash | Aaron Burden

Nobody likes writing assignments, especially outside of school hours. Whenever Reddit user nonesjones would get in trouble as a teen, their father would make them write a full essay explaining how they got in trouble, why it was wrong, and how they'd handle the situation differently in the future.

It's like music to my ears.

Dwight playing the recorder on 'The Office'.
Giphy | The Office

When Reddit user Banannaball and their sister were young, they used to fight over everything. One day, after arguing over who would play with a plastic recorder, their father was pushed to his limit and wound up snapping it in half — thus giving each of them a piece.

You think you've got it rough?

Uncooked white kidney beans.
Unsplash | Ɓukasz Rawa

My nana once told me her teacher used to spill a jar of uncooked navy beans on the ground and make her kneel down on top of them with her bare knees. Then, her teacher would push down on her shoulders with all her might.

You are the jogging queen.

Photo of ABBA.
Unsplash | Andrew Ebrahim

As a child, whenever BuzzFeed Community member moto159 would get into trouble, their mother would make them jog around the block while she followed in the car, blasting ABBA songs as loud as the stereo would go.

Disappointing grandma is a punishment unlike any other.

Scene from 'Grandma's Boy'.
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"In high school[sic] my friend got caught smoking weed by his mom. His punishment was that he had to tell his 95 year old[sic] strictly religious great grandmother, who thinks weed is just as bad as heroin." - Reddit u/jrob5797

h/t: Reddit