DAD FEELS BAD ABOUT TOO HARSH A PUNISHMENT FOR TEEN

A father went on Reddit’s “Am I the (Jerk)” [actually: “Am I the Asshole”] to get other people’s opinions on a situation. His 15-year-old daughter, Lily, was caught bullying other kids at school, so dad said: “We offered Lily two punishments. 1) No phone and no contact with her friends for however long we decide 2) No nice clothes for the same amount of time. She chose the second. My wife padlocked her wardrobe but took out a few plain tracksuits and t-shirts that she rarely wears.” Then he writes, “I got a call from my sister today, saying that Lily had phoned her up in ‘floods of tears’ about not being allowed to wear the clothes she loves. Lily feels that clothing is an ‘expression of her personality’ and that she feels vulnerable and insecure in the clothes we made her wear. Obviously, Lily needs to be punished for what she did, but I don’t like the idea of making our daughter feel upset and vulnerable.”
* Took away her expensive clothes? Heavens, that man is a monster!
* Not only does she bully kids at school, she’s really good at manipulating family members.
* How about one item of clothing returned for every apology letter she writes to one of her victims?
* I’m guessing the votes on Reddit split pretty solidly between parents and teenagers.
* PHONE TOPIC: Is taking away a teen’s clothing enough of a punishment? What would you do?