Mom Throws Away Her 15-Year-Old Daughter's Clothes, Worth $500 in Total, Because She Forgot to Take The Dog Out

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Jul 1, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

Is that not a tad bit of an overreaction? 

There is a fine line between a harsh punishment and an unacceptable one. I understand that teens can misbehave in a way that requires harsh punishment, but that doesn't mean that their parents should hire strangers to kidnap them from their rooms in the middle of the night and live off the land with a group of other "troubled teens" and uncertified, shady counselors. Of course, not all wilderness therapy is bad. Still, there's a significant difference between an adult participating in it willingly to improve themselves and parents forcing their children to sleep in the wilderness for over a year because they misbehaved. 

A lot of parents are okay with punishing their kids extremely harshly because they are comparing the severity of their punishments to the punishments they experienced growing up. They might think it's okay to scream at your kids as much as you want, because at least you're not hitting them! Parents also might be mirroring the punishments their parents gave them, just because they don't know any differently. If they turned out alright, then their kid should be okay getting the same punishment!

Some parents punish their kids harshly because they're not emotionally regulated themselves. They see their kids doing something that makes them mad, and they take it out on the kid instead of giving them a punishment that fits the crime after calming down. The mom in this story is one of these parents, and it's going to ruin her relationship with her daughter more than it already has if she keeps it up. 

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  • A teenage girl putting her new clothes away after buying them online.
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A model of a teenage girl putting her new clothes away after buying them online.

  • Am I the bad guy for telling my mom not to throw away my clothes as punishment?

    I (15F) am on summer break. My parents (both 40) run a business together. Now that it's summer, I'm expected to manage most of the house. I'm fine with doing regular chores, but if I forget to do something, she freaks out easily and gets extremely upset.
    via u/merakivvh
  • Recently, I forgot to take the dog outside because I was busy with online coursework, and he ended up peeing on the floor. My parents came home yelling. I apologized and offered to clean it up, but they refused to let me and sent me to my room.
    via u/merakivvh
  • My room isn't the most organized, but it's not filthy or poorly maintained. I had a box of back-to-school clothes that I had ordered a while ago and hadn't put away yet. For context, I usually make purchases using my mom's
    via u/merakivvh
  • Apple Card that's installed on my phone for convenience. I have plenty of birthday money, so whenever I use the card, I pay her back in cash because most of the places I shop are cashless.
    via u/merakivvh
  • She came into my room extremely upset, yelling that I was ungrateful and didn't pull my weight around the house. She grabbed a trash bag and started stuffing my newly purchased clothes into it. I had already paid her back the $500
    via u/merakivvh
  • A mother yelling at her daughter for forgetting to take out the dog while she was busy doing online classes.
    via engin akyurt

    A representation of a mother yelling at her daughter for forgetting to take out the dog while she was busy doing online classes.

  • I spent on those clothes because I'm transferring to a new school that doesn't require uniforms. She also threw various other clothing items I had lying around into the bag, saying that she bought them and I didn't appreciate
    via u/merakivvh
  • anything. I didn't say anything back because I didn't want to make the situation worse. Now my clothes are sitting in trash bags by the door, waiting to be thrown away. A few minutes after she left my room,
    via u/merakivvh
  • Cheezburger Image 10643555072
    via Sven Brandsma

    A trash bag next to the door.

  • I approached her and asked her not to throw them away, but she didn't respond. My dad told me I was being unreasonable for asking that and said I should have been more responsible. He also insists that the clothes won't
    via u/merakivvh
  • actually be thrown away, but I'm not convinced. My mom often feels the need to prove a point in situations like this, and after telling me she'd "show me crazy," I genuinely believe she might go through with it. Am I in the wrong or being irrational
    via u/merakivvh
  • at all, or just an a h_le? Edit: The dog has puppy pads, my parents just don't like him using them. The dog isn't my main responsibility as I primarily care for our new kitten myself entirely but I understand I still failed to meet his needs
    via u/merakivvh
  • Salt_My_Watermelon NTA Later just go retrieve the bags, put the clothing away and don't mention it again.
    via u/Salt_My_Watermelon
  • Lola_Luvly Or fill it with clothes you don't care about and put the new ones away. That way she won't be suspicious.
    via u/Lola_Luvly
  • usernameCJ Fill it with some of your parents clothes, ideally the ones towards the back of their cupboard!
    via u/usernameCJ
  • Seeayteebeans NTA - while cruel to a dog who's needs aren't being met, you were studying not skipping out and having fun with friends over your summer break. They could have it MUCH WORSE. Threatening to throw away your things is cruel, but you'll live. Eventually you'll let them know things like this are why you stopped talking to them when you become an adult.
    via u/Seeayteebeans
  • Squirrelysez Forgetting to take the dog out was not cruel. It was a mistake.
    via u/Squirrelysez
  • unabasheddork ΝΤΑ This is absolutely not your fault. Kids make mistakes, everyone could make a mistake! Find a way to correct the mistake moving forward (set up alarms), but what you received is a very unhinged ab ive overreaction from your mom. Do reach out to a safe adult and talk to them about how your homelike is doing, you deserve a better environment to grow up in.
    via u/unabasheddork
  • Professional_Swim960 Definitely NTA. I'm so sorry your mom is treating you this way. You sound more mature than she is.
    via u/Professional_Swim960
  • RocketToaster9 NTA The fact you immediately apologized and offered to clean up the mess says this wasn't you refusing responsibility. Turning around and threatening to throw away clothes you had already paid for is a punishment that doesn't even fit what happened
    via u/RocketToaster9

  • These parents should thank their lucky stars that they have a responsible 15-year-old daughter who is willing to own up to her mistakes.

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dogs shopping trash bag teenagers back to school chores clothes daughter mom mistake punishment
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