My niece was about 6 when my sister told me that she was dreading the day that her daughter became a teenager.
We were in the girls department of a big name store buying our other niece a birthday present – and my sister, who is on the modest side, looked crestfallen as she picked up a padded training bra.
All she wanted was her daughter to be able to have the clothing that she needed without being sexualized, and here was this tiny pink “your first” bra that had no real business being padded.
As my nieces got older, my sisters developed tests to make sure that clothing covered what needed to be covered. My nieces were still allowed to wear what they wanted, but it had to be age-appropriate – no extreme cleavage or booty cheeks.
Generally, my nieces never really had a problem with this reasonable rule, but occasionally a low-cut shirt or a high-cut pair of shorts would be off limits.
Jason Hilley, a father of two from Florida, ran into this issue with his 14-year-old daughter, Kendall, a few weeks ago.
According to reports, Kendall made an appearance in the living room in shorts that dad felt were a little too short, so Hilley gave Kendall his debit card and told her to buy shorts that fit.
She bought new shorts, but dad didn’t like the length of those either. So he cut his jeans into a pair of Daisy Dukes and strutted into Kendall’s room wearing his new shorts, telling her that if she left the house in hers then he’d pick her up from school in his.
Naturally, a grown man in what looks like a blue jean diaper caused the teen (plus her mom and brother) to crack up laughing.
And, judging by the multitude of comments that echoed “I’m going to steal this idea when my daughter is older,” it also inspired the 210,000 people who saw it to take a more humorous approach to child discipline, which is what Hilley was aiming for by posting the video.
“We joke around a lot, but Kendall knows when my jokes are serious,” Hilley told TODAY Parents. “Kids will be kids and try to push the limits. That’s when I step in and try to correct the behavior with a little bit of humor. You don’t have to yell and scream and punish to get a point across.”
And he’s right. There’s a time and place for everything, but a lot of times teens aren’t going to listen to you if you scream at them. It’s better for both of you if you find something they will listen to – and they’ll definitely hear this.
Have you done something funny to teach your child a life lesson or to enforce a rule? Tell us your story in the comments.
