Dad Shoots Laptop

As unconventional as it might sound, Tommy Jordan did what he thought was appropriate. So many people let their kids get away with all kinds of stuff but he took the initiative to assert his right as a parent. If you read his fifteen-year-old daughter's rant on Facebook, you'll see the reflection of many kids in our society today -- downright brats who feel entitled and don't give a crap about their parents or authority. In her rant, she bemoans doing simple chores like unloading the dishwasher, cleaning her room and pouring coffee for her parents -- and demand she be paid for her work.

When I was her age I had to do chores around the house; my mom made me feed the chickens, clean the barn, tote water to the house, sweep the living room, polish the silver, take out the garbage and clip my dad's toenails. (Ew!) I had to do all of this and not once did I ever complain; I understood I was a child and that my parents worked hard to provide for me, so I wanted to help -- I knew I had to! --; I never demanded I be paid -- never questioned if I was a slave -- never felt pressured to pitch in -- or feel the need to be insolent and embarrass my parents online!

Kids do chores, that's the way it's always been. It's not a demand, it's a lesson: our parents are teaching us responsibility and solid work ethics.

Here is a worthy analogy I found online, from a guy named David Harris.

David Lumin

Tommy Jordan is like any other hard working American out there. He works hard to provide for his family. Yet, like many other teens (including most of us at that age), his daughter Hannah doesn't appreciate (or understand), the lesson he is trying to teach his daughter. Her main focus of her rant on her FaceBook page was about doing "chores".

We start teaching children about the "Real" world when they are young. We teach them to obey police officers, to follow the walk/don't walk signs, to respect others, and to try to mold them into productive members of civilized society.

However, in today's society, the lessons of our grandparents and great grandparents are no longer taught. We don't teach our children to say yes sir, no sir, yes ma'am, no ma'am, please, thank you, you're welcome and excuse me.

Tommy Jordan, gave his daughter everything she wanted, a laptop, a cell phone, an IPad, and other luxuries that some of us would like to be able to afford to give our children.

At the same time, his daughter Hannah is of the mind (like many of us were at that age) that everything should be given to me, because you are my parents, and you should pay me to do the chores around the house.

When we give our children chores, we are instilling in them the idea of work ethic. Chores are not punishment. They are a learning tool designed to teach us from an early age, that if you want things, you have to work for them.

Now, Hannah didn't want to work for the things her father had already given her. She wanted to be paid for the chores. She failed to realize she was already paid for the chores. Her payment was the love her mother and father gave her in buying her these luxury items.

At the end of the video, when Tommy Jordan put those nine 45 caliber slugs into the laptop, I'm going to be honest, I cheered. Because the father was showing his daughter that what she has been given is not a right. It is a privilege to have these items and if you don't use them wisely you can lose them.

Food for thought

David Harris

A lot of people are criticizing Mr. Jordan's  parenting, some have even called him a lunatic. What do you think?