Ultimate Xbox punishment

by Xav de Matos { Aug 17th 2008 at 1:45PM }

A user on CNN's iReport blog shared an image that could send shivers down your spine. When their two children wouldn't behave while playing the original Xbox, the husband of iReport user Kingfry of Mechanicsville, Virginia, punished the pair by nailing the system to a tree in the backyard. Honestly, we wouldn't be surprised if the Xbox was still functional -- that thing was a beast. Well if that is the case, and since that tree seems fairly tall, may we suggest a wireless internet adapter?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Tags: cnn, funny, xbox

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Xav de Matos @ Aug 17th 2008 1:41PM

Before anyone comments, clearly that Xbox has been taken apart and won't work... but a guy can dream for the sake of those kids, can't he?!

Brian @ Aug 17th 2008 2:45PM

you commented 4 minutes before this 'news' was posted. You are god!

Erik Stroud @ Aug 17th 2008 4:14PM

Brian is right. Also, they can use this as an excuse to get a 360.

Xav de Matos @ Aug 17th 2008 5:14PM

I think it goes without saying that I got the skillz that killz

Anticrawl @ Aug 17th 2008 8:06PM

would have recorded the many nuking of Xbox’s I've done in my day. Use to buy them broken for 5-10 bucks and fix most of them then turn around and sell em for 50-75. Had a few that were beyond my ability so I shoved them with explosives and set em off in an open field. The first one was pretty sick, after my buddy and I set the delay detonator we realized how big the explosion was going to be and had to run and duck behind a nearby dirt pile. Luckily we did because there was shrapnel everywhere and the main case top went skyward about 300 feet it seemed. Woo what a rush that was, good times.

On topic: Good punishment. Clearly they had let the children run wild for far to long without adequate punishment and I'm glad they figured out an effective method.

a ham sandwich @ Aug 17th 2008 2:07PM

an original xbox. i dont mind so much. if it was a 360, i probably wouldnt be able to sleep for a week.

Hellvector @ Aug 17th 2008 2:18PM

That is definitely an interesting form of punishment. I feel bad for the tree, trying to support all that weight now.

Ashkental @ Aug 17th 2008 2:42PM

Exactly the same Comment as in Kotaku.com nice imagination xD

Hellvector @ Aug 17th 2008 2:45PM

I definitely didn't read any of the comments on Kotaku.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 2:57PM

The truly upsetting thing about this story is that when you read the story comments (much like these comments,) a good 98% of people agreed this was the best idea. It was??
Truly frightening that some people would think that to admonish a punishment, you have to destroy or humiliate in general. (I'm trying to ignore the additional fact that a lot of people commented that whipping children was also a good idea. To me, that's child abuse no matter who you are and for what 'purpose'.)

What ever happened to talking to kids? Having some sort of report with them enough so that you don't have to resort to hanging electronics in a tree like early man hung food from bears? (That's 're-pore')

What's also been done by this father or parents? I have to wonder. And worry.
At least hide the Xbox from the kids in some shelf. Why waste good money? I'm assuming the father wasn't a gamer or else he'd not have done this, (Unless it was a way to get antiquated electronics out as an excuse to get a new 360) so it also shows me that he has no idea how else to communicate with the kids.

Maybe I was a sensitive child growing up, but if my parents had done something like this, I'd be in fear of them. Maybe that was the point! Yeah..sounds like good parenting to me; hang the victims of your parental admonishment high like Vlad the Impaler did with his victim's heads... intimidation works I guess!
The next thing we'll hear about is a case from Louisiana where the mom waterboarded her teen-age daughter as a reprimand for wearing makeup..

Some might say "Well, nothing else got through to the kids", but my persistent response to that would be that nothing else got to the parents in terms of brain power. Think differently, look into freaking counseling even..if you abused the communication with your children thanks to your inability to BE a parent up to this point, then seek outside help. Don't resort to primal stupid acts of violence and destruction.

Then again I could be really giving this whole thing too much thought. It WAS Virginia after all..maybe this was the crowning intelligence achievement in the state! (I kid, I kid..)

anthonyjh @ Aug 17th 2008 3:48PM

My parents whipped my ass and embarrassed me every chance they got .

I'm successful and level headed. My punishments always built character, and in retrospect I wouldn't have it any other way. People raise their kids how they see fit, and to say that you know better is is not only ridiculous, but wholly rude.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 3:51PM

I respect whatever worked for you and your situation, but as a general rule I would never promote the abuse of children in any way, be it mental or physical.

Shogan @ Aug 17th 2008 3:53PM

I think the message to the kids was, "You're Next!"

Haohmaru @ Aug 17th 2008 7:00PM

A good old fashioned ass-spanking is NOT child abuse. It's fine and dandy to not choose that form of discipline for your own children, I can respect that. But don't presume to label those who do as "abusive" parents. Save that for the sick fucks who give their kids bruises, black eyes, and bloodied noses.

That said, destroying what a child sees as his or her "toy" does seem a little cruel and unusual.

Anticrawl @ Aug 17th 2008 8:24PM

I was an evil devil child and there wasn't much for my parents to do to keep me under control but to scare me with threats of a whipping and then to follow through with it if I didn't calm down.

Well it worked, I straightened out, excelled in all athletics, graduated highschool first in my class with a 4.0, made a 34 on my ACT and got paid to go to college. I'd have to say that the punishment should be fit to the child. Some just need a spanking or sent to time out and others need more drastic measures, especially if the parent doesn't get their child to respect them at a young age.

Bac0nator @ Aug 17th 2008 3:07PM

OMG I SEE BIGFOOT IN THE WOODS!!!!

Teabag @ Aug 17th 2008 3:16PM

It's after the broken Xbox!! All these years of research and such a simple method of catching it!

Sgt Barone @ Aug 17th 2008 3:14PM

wow. just. wow.

Austin B @ Aug 17th 2008 3:56PM

Why would you be that passionately analytical about a picture of a console nailed to a tree?

... I'm glad my moral compass has been recalibrated by someone with the username Magic Whiskey.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 4:02PM

Gamertag is a nickname based on the way my last name sounds.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 4:01PM

Also, note the whole message this story has that we might be overlooking.

The dad himself posted this story on CNN.COM. Apparently he was proud or felt pride in this accomplishment enough to post pictures online of his crowning parental idea, and that he felt it was something worth sharing to the worldwide community. Yeah, there's a model parent for you.
I bet he posts pictures of his children crying next to show the world how much of a 'baby' they are..

..what a jerk.

Xav de Matos @ Aug 17th 2008 6:23PM

As outlined in the post, it was actually the wife of the culprit.

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 6:32PM

Same diff, unless she was trying to show how stupid her husband was..

Seanross @ Aug 17th 2008 4:40PM

Tree is leaning now...

Pulp @ Aug 17th 2008 5:40PM

It builds character...at least the type of character who would years later know where to hide his elderly dad's heart medication at the first sign of chest pains.

ryan @ Aug 17th 2008 6:25PM

dude. lol

"Remember that forest you hung our game systems in, pops? well...." *chucks heart meds*

Magic Whiskey @ Aug 17th 2008 6:33PM

I love it! Haha!

Zach S @ Aug 17th 2008 6:06PM

I don't get it- Why not sell it? While your kids bawl their eyes out, at least you'll have a hefty check instead of a fried Xbox hanging from your backyard tree.

I've heard worse, though- some dude on a message board said his father snapped all his discs and actually GRILLED like ON A GRILL his gamecube a while back. Although it might make a tasty sandwich of plastic and silicon, I doubt that destroying the thing is any more satisfying than selling it off.

ryan @ Aug 17th 2008 6:27PM

are you certain that grill wasn't a PS3?

Anticrawl @ Aug 17th 2008 8:09PM

There is no way the grill was a PS3. Everyone knows those things grill lean, so there wouldn't be any excess plastic, just pure hearty silicon.

Zon @ Aug 17th 2008 7:34PM

Well at least they won't have any trouble finding a mechanic.....

Hak @ Aug 17th 2008 9:02PM

I would rather sell off the machine for some quick dough and show the kids what business is all about, TEACH EM YOUNG!!!

ice~ @ Aug 18th 2008 7:06AM

Ah this xbox was crucified, but it died for its people!

I say we start our own religion, with xbox as our savior, and an xbox nailed to a tree instead of a dude nailed to a cross!!

WHOS WITH ME?!!! Church of Saint Xbox the Holy!!

Bubba316 @ Aug 18th 2008 7:11AM

Parents that spank their kids are abusers? Get real, that's what's wrong with kids today, they have it too easy! "Now honey, don't do that or mommy is going to give you a stern talking" pfft.....you need to strike fear into them...."You better stop or mommy is gonna whup your arse! I brought you into this world and I'll take you out!"....now that's much better.
I was spanked, with a belt, and I grew up just fine. Graduated a 4 year college, got a great job, and am active in my church...yea, those butt whoopin's really scarred my psyche for life. Please...if more people whooped their kids the kids would show more respect and act like they had a brain!

Pulp @ Aug 18th 2008 12:43PM

What the heck does being successful have to do with whether one was whipped as a child? Or even that they grew up as a person of good character? Being a sociopath and being successful in life are not mutually exclusive. I always hear the anecdotes that they as children who are beaten grow up financially successful, or well rounded educationally, but aren't there spoiled brats who also accomplish this?