[Lokibob]

As a teenager, one of my kids got drunk. Next day, I got him up at 5 am, gave him a pair of sissors and told him to mow the grass. It took him 12 hours, in the heat. He never drank again.

Guess I was a bad dad.

[scholar]

"The children have been exposed to extreme weather, they are malnourished, meals have been withheld," ...

No--under the circumstances you describe, I don't think you were a Bad Dad. However, look at the circumstances of this case. Did you ever deprive your children of food?

[PoisedWoman]

gave him a pair of sissors and told him to mow the grass. It took him 12 hours, in the heat. He never drank again.

I think you're a genius!

[HamiltonJay]

Something tells me these kids were subjected to more than just a harsh lesson... 3 kids at these ages JUST SAT AROUND MOTIONLESS while their parents were out???? They had to have been scared to death to behave in such a way, no 6 year old will sit still for 2 hours when hes at a movie, much less when his parents are out of the house.... Something sounds a bit off here, we'll see what happens.

[mamelukesabre]

I guess you were. If you didn't allow him to get plenty of water, you were endangering his life. Heat and hangovers are a deadly combination. Your lucky he didn't just flat out refuse. Then your authority would have been permanently compromised.

[xfmrman]

When my youngest was 6 years old, he didn't want to eat his vegetables - because they were green! I told him he couldn't leave the table until they were eaten. FIVE HOURS LATER he was still at the table! I relented because I wanted to go to bed. He'd probably still be there (20+ years). Stubborn little fart took after his old man.

[NC_Libertarian]

He never drank again.

Uh huh.