What I'm Really Thinking… about punishment

Punishment. It’s laughable, really. There’s times I think my parents just haven’t got a clue what they’re doing. It’s like no matter what I do, it’s wrong. No matter what I do, they’ll always be like, “I’m taking your phone!”. Apparently I was cheeky to my mother the other day and she took my phone off me. The weekend before that Dad was giving out that I still hadn’t picked up the clothes off my floor like Mam asked, and he took my phone.

I hate that. It’s not fair. I don’t even mind the principle of being punished. I guess if you do something wrong then there has to be a consequence. But always taking my phone, why? That’s the bit that seems unfair. It’s not like my phone has anything to do with the language I use, or the state of my bedroom. If I was bullying someone online using my phone then fair enough, but I don’t.

I actually think they do it just to piss me off. I have a theory. When I do something they don’t like, then they just retaliate by taking my phone off me (or if they have my phone they’ll take the Playstation!). They know it upsets me not to be able to talk to my friends, or even just to chill out and play games. They take it just to get their own back at me.

And there’s never a warning, either. I think that is really unfair. Like, if you know what the consequence of doing something is going to be then you can make an informed decision about whether to do it, or not. But when its random (like depending on their mood or whatever), then I never know if it’s a punishable offence, if you know what I mean? For example, if they say, in the morning, “if your floor isn’t clear of clothes and junk by dinner time this evening, then you’ll lose your phone for two days”, that would be fair enough. I know what’ll happen if I don’t clean up. But just to walk in, unannounced, give out yards about the mess and then take the phone is not on. I hate it!

I get really mad sometimes – that always makes it worse, because then they just start adding days onto the phone lockdown. Then it doesn’t matter. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, so I may as well say my piece (or shout my piece), since it can’t get any worse. We have some bitter rows. I wonder do they notice that I never row about the thing I’ve supposedly done wrong. I only have a go at them about their stupid punishments.

They sometimes try to tell me I have “anger” issues. I get so infuriated by that too. I wouldn’t be so mad if they weren’t so bloody unfair and if they weren’t always on my case about something.

Whenever they are so unfair, I also feel like getting my own back on them. I didn’t talk to my Dad for two days one time. I wouldn’t even look at him. Totally blanked him. He was rightly pissed off. I could hear him complaining to Mam. Served him right for being a dick about my phone.

I just wish they would get over themselves and their punishments. Fine, tell me when I’ve done something wrong. I might even try to do it right the next time if they weren’t so quick to whip my phone away. Just as well I bought a new one with the money Nan gave me for Christmas. I never told them about that. That’ll be funny next time they take the old one.

* As imagined by David Coleman

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