Most unusual punishment your parents used?

[CityGirlintheCountry]

This came up in conversation the other day and now I'm curious. What was the most memorable/most unusual punishment your parents used to change your behaviour?

I was grounded from reading. Yes, yes, I am that nerdy. My parents caught me reading under the covers really late at night after being told for the umpteenth time to not do so. (I would stay up reading until the wee hours and then be hateful and draggy all the next day.) They banned all pleasure reading for two weeks. I could talk on the phone, watch TV, play video games, whatever. I just couldn't pick up a book. I was miserable. Clearly it was memorable as this was probably 30 years ago.

What did your parents do? (And this doesn't actually have to be an effective punishment. I still stay up reading until the wee hours and then am cranky the next day!)

 

[debilorrah]

I grew up in an era of punishment that is seen as abuse these days. Bar of soap in the mouth, switch from a tree, belt across the backside, etc. But the oddest punishment was I couldn't have my vitamins for a week because I ate too many of them.

 

[DuckLady]

We were usually so afraid of my dad that we didn't dare misbehave. Or at least not much.
I do remember one Sunday morning my sister and I fought so loud over the sunday newspaper funnies that we woke our parents.
Every weekend morning after that if we got up before they did, we had to sit on the bed with our hands in our lap until they got up. We were allowed to go to the bathroom, but that was it.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:

All because of the funnies. That is cute.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

I don't know about "weird" punishments, but we had a large willow tree outside. "Pick your switch" was not a metaphore at our house

 

[saddina]

I skipped a single class in highschool. My parents decided if I was going to cut school I should be useful, so they took me out of school for a week and made me work my dad's store (idea was I'd hate having to work and beg to go back to school). Turns out I'm really good at running a store, when the week was up I had a $500 commission check and a job for the next 4 years, after school of course.

 

[FarmerChick]

very lucky for me never had unusual.

just the usual "wait til your father gets home" scare tactic....it worked but Mom also never told on us..LOL

grounded for a few minutes, never the length of time threatened which was nice!

I grew up easy and fortunate. My 2 brothers and me never had to worry about punishments. We were decent kids also...never pushed too far. Mom would get a "scary look" if we went overboard and if we saw that "look" we backed off, scared what might happen. HA HA never found out.

 

[19Dawn76]

Quote:
I was grounded from reading also. I remember one summer I would stay up and read a Nancy Drew book every night. I had a flashlight and I read under the covers. As I got older they would threaten me with "No more trips to the library for you!" I got in trouble at school for reading in class too.

 

[Terri]

i got home 5 minutes after curfew, 11 o'clock, my dad took the distubutor cap and wires, and plugs off my car. I could have my car back went i put it back together. I can change a tire too. My dad was super cool. He knew exactly how to make his kids learn a lesson. I still have problems with carbs.

 

[mamaKate]

My dad just talked and explained. My mom was a strong proponent of switches, small ladies' belts and LOTS of yelling. She considered creative punishments pretentious. Funny, I never purposely disobeyed my dad. I sneaked from Mom at every opportunity.