Sometimes, parents owe their kids an apology.

This mom decided she was going to raise her son to be independent, so when he struggled to get up in time for school on his own, she deleted his Minecraft world as a form of punishment.

Does she owe him a big apology?

Let’s analyze this situation and find out.

AITA for deleting my son’s Minecraft world?

I have 2 children, a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

My son had a Minecraft world where he built quite an impressive castle on an island, which he was very proud to show to me.

He has issues with waking up on time for school.

Him and every other school-aged kid.

He is supposed to wake up at 7 each morning, but for the past month, he has been sleeping in until about 9 or 10. I always set an alarm for him, but he sleeps right through it.

I don’t wake him up because waking himself up is a skill that he needs to learn.

He is missing school because his mom won’t wake him up.

I told him about 2 weeks ago that there are going to be consequences for him if he continues to sleep in every morning.

At first, he understood and was waking up on time every morning. But for the past week or so, he has fallen back into old habits. I told him yesterday that this is his final warning.

What an odd way to treat a 9-year-old.

Today, he slept in until 11.

So I followed through with my warning and went on the computer and deleted his favorite Minecraft world.

He may forgive but he will never forget this.

I also took away computer privileges for the next month. When I told him, he started screaming and crying.

He told me that he spent a whole year working on that world, and he’s very distraught that he’s never going to see it again.

He is only 9 years old. One entire year is a long commitment for a child.

He has been crying and sobbing throughout the day, and has refused to eat any of his meals.

AITA?

Easy! YES, yes you are.

Let’s see if Redditors agree.

A reader shares their thoughts.

A commenter shares their point of view.

Sad, but true.

Another commenter shares a few points to consider.

This person sounds baffled.

It was borderline Machiavellian.

This punishment was not proportional to what he did AT ALL.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.