(no subject)
Say there's a law in place where you live, which either you disagree with altogether, or think carries an excessive punishment. Your child was caught breaking this law, and hit with the (in your opinion) inappropriate punishment. He/she knew that the activity was against the law, and knew what kind of punishment it carried, but chose to engage in that activity anyway.
When you find out, do you:
a) Commiserate with them and try to get them out of it/try to get the sentence lessened?
b) Commiserate with them but make sure they know that since they broke the law, they still have to deal with the consequences?
c) Punish them further, as they knowingly broke the law, however stupid a law they thought it was?
d) Other?
ETA: Does your answer depend on whether the law was one that you have broken yourself, in the past?
(This is, obviously, based on a real incident; a friend of the family's son was caught in breach of one of the restrictions on a provisional driver, but I don't know the exact law broken; only that she thought it was way too excessive and both commiserated with her son for breaking the law and tried to help him get out of it. As yet, I don't know if she was successful. Personally, I think that I might commiserate with them depending on the details of the incident, but it would still be on them for breaking the law.)
When you find out, do you:
a) Commiserate with them and try to get them out of it/try to get the sentence lessened?
b) Commiserate with them but make sure they know that since they broke the law, they still have to deal with the consequences?
c) Punish them further, as they knowingly broke the law, however stupid a law they thought it was?
d) Other?
ETA: Does your answer depend on whether the law was one that you have broken yourself, in the past?
(This is, obviously, based on a real incident; a friend of the family's son was caught in breach of one of the restrictions on a provisional driver, but I don't know the exact law broken; only that she thought it was way too excessive and both commiserated with her son for breaking the law and tried to help him get out of it. As yet, I don't know if she was successful. Personally, I think that I might commiserate with them depending on the details of the incident, but it would still be on them for breaking the law.)