I (58F) recently found out my daughter (16F) had a boy in her room while I was out. I was so furious, I cut off all her hair. I believe it was justified, but she got shockingly emotional and called me a witch. Did I go too far? Am I the asshole?

Update 1: Wow, some of you are obviously not parents. Children need to learn that their actions have consequences. Violate my rules? Expect consequences.

For those who said cutting her hair was harsh and asked why I didn’t ground her instead, that won’t work. She hasn’t left her room since she was a baby so grounding her won’t make much of an impression, will it?

Update 2: Jump to conclusions why don’t you? I did not lock her in a basement. I’m not a monster. We live in a tower. A high tower. She’s not locked in, there’s just no door. Or stairs. But she has a window and a spectacular view. She loves it! Grow up!

To the people saying that isolation is a form of torture, that may be true, but she’s not isolated. She has me.

Update 3: Jeez, you’re all missing the point. I’m not interested in explaining my every parenting decision. I simply want someone to reassure me that cutting her hair was not so bad. Or if it was, to rationally explain why.

But since there were so many questions. Yes, I come and go as I please. My daughter had really long hair before I cut it. When I need to leave, I rappel down the tower on her braid. When I come back, I call to her, she throws down the braid and pulls me up. It’s part of her fitness routine and a testament to our bond.

Update 4: I don’t know why people are so curious about this. Of course, I didn’t climb her hair when she was a baby. That’s absurd. When I first built the tower, there were iron rungs imbedded in the stone. By the time she was twelve, her braid was long enough that I removed several rungs at the top and let her lower me to the remaining ones. I kept on removing rungs until her hair was more than long enough to get me to the ground.

It wasn’t solely about keeping her in, she was perfectly happy in the tower, it was about keeping others out. I don’t want other people in my space. I have trust issues.

Update 5: “Where is her father in all this?” Mind your business. For your information, she doesn’t have a father.

Update 6: Of course, I didn’t make her by myself. I didn’t make her at all. Technically she is the child of my former neighbors. They stole a head of lettuce from my garden.

Now can you see where the trust issues stem from? Since they decided it was okay to steal from me, I took their baby from them.

Update 7: Yes, a human being is reasonable compensation for lettuce, it was amazing lettuce. And it was mine! And so is she.

Update 8: At last, someone asks a relevant question. I knew a boy had been there because she told me. I asked why the lamp was on the floor. She said she knocked it over when a boy came in the window instead of me. He told her that he heard me calling to her and watched me being lifted up on her hair. The next time I left, he imitated my voice, tricking her into letting him in.

Update 9: Precisely. That is why I fear I might be the asshole. If she didn’t intentionally let him in, punishing her could have been an overreaction. But she said they kissed! She swears that’s all they did. As if that weren’t enough. So was it such an overreaction?

Anyway, before I cut her hair she said the boy is coming back. I have a plan. I’ve tied one end of the severed braid to my bedpost. When he calls, I’ll throw the other end to him and bring him up. See? Cutting her hair wasn’t just an “irrational act of cruelty.” Once he’s at the window, I’ll push him to his death, so she can witness the consequences of her actions.

Update 10: Well, that didn’t go as planned. She must have been reading over my shoulder and seen the terrible things you people said about me. She hit me with the lamp, climbed down the braid, and pulled it down after her. I can see it from here. A golden coil, mocking me, at the base of the tower.

I’m sure none of you will muster the empathy to help a poor, trapped, old woman.

But, Rapunzel, darling girl, if you’re reading this, I think we can agree that we both acted rashly. Mama loves you and will forgive you, if you come back with a ladder. Alright? We can act like none of this happened. Come home, Cabbage. Mama is running out of food.

See also: Am I the Asshole for deliberately losing my step kids in the Woods?