You Were Never Grounded, and It Shows
How Childhood Excuses Took Over American Politics
They have their homework “done” for them by Mom.
They serve their “punishment” in front of the TV or a video game console.
They show up to school only when they feel like it.
They call a parent to hand-deliver whatever they forgot that morning.
They see their consequences shrink after Dad calls the principal to say it “wasn’t a big deal.”
They watch their parents launch Facebook crusades against the teacher instead of speaking with them directly.
Moments like these make me wonder if we’ve quietly rewritten the rules about consequences, because when I was a kid, even a single gummy bear could land you in serious trouble.
I learned that in sixth grade.
I had gummy bears in my lunchbox, and a classmate dared me to throw one so he could catch it in his mouth. I did. I can’t even remember if he caught it, because the next thing I knew, my best friend hurled her entire sandwich across the table.
The lunch lady wasn’t impressed. She sent my friend to the principal’s office, but not before my friend pointed at me and yelled, “She did it too!”
The principal had me write a letter of apology and sit alone at lunch for three days. When my parents found out, they grounded me for a week.
The lesson stuck. I never threw food at school again. Facing consequences at both school and home taught me that the adults I trusted expected better from me.
That’s the part I don’t see as often today. And it’s not just kids.
I’m not here to come at parents. Parenting is hard. We’re all guilty of occasionally bailing our kids out — myself included. But over time, small exceptions can turn into a pattern of never holding kids accountable. And when that happens, the habit grows.
From the lunchroom to the West Wing
It’s easy to laugh when a kid says, “It wasn’t me.”
But when the most powerful people in the country do it? That’s not just childish—it’s dangerous.
Here’s what “young child logic” looks like when it graduates to national politics:
This isn’t just me shaking my finger at “kids these days”. Teachers see it, too.
For example, 79% of teachers say parents do too little to hold kids accountable if they misbehave in school. And while the answer isn’t harsher punishment, it’s certainly not looking the other way.
The good news? We don’t need to call Miss Trunchbull and send kids to the chokey to hold them accountable.
All joking aside, repeatedly failing to hold kids accountable for poor behavior can have serious consequences.
Kids who consistently get away with poor behavior often show a worrying pattern: a sense of entitlement, lack of empathy, and sometimes even bully behavior—even when they seem to hurt others without remorse. Studies link bullying to a strong sense of superiority and emotional detachment.
By the age of 12, most kids have the ability to self-reflect and take accountability.
When these patterns never get corrected, they don’t disappear — they scale up.
When kids avoid accountability… and when leaders do the same
These same accountability gaps show up outside the classroom, and the consequences are just as damaging. You don’t have to look far to see leaders who dodge responsibility using the same tactics as a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
If you think these lines belong on a playground, you’re not wrong, but you’ll hear them just as often in politics, where the consequences are a lot bigger.
1. Deflection & Excuses
Shift the blame or reframe the facts so you’re not the one in trouble.
Young child logic: “It wasn’t me” →
Trumpworld logic: “Witch hunt! Fake news!”
“WITCH HUNT!!! Crooked Joe Biden & his Injustice Department want to indict & arrest his presumed political opponent (ME!)…”
— Donald J. Trump via Truth Social, July 18, 2023
When caught red-handed, both the kid and the politician point the finger anywhere but themselves.
Young child logic: “It’s not my fault” →
Trumpworld logic: “Biden/Obama/Hillary/Pelosi did it.”
““Crazy Nancy Pelosi didn’t do an ‘Impeachment Inquiry’ on me for making a PERFECT phone call, the Radical Left Lunatics just ‘Impeached.’ Crooked Joe Biden stole Millions and Millions of Dollars from China…”
— Donald J. Trump, Truth Social, July 28, 2023
Why take responsibility when you can blame someone else entirely?
Young child logic: “The rules are unfair” →
Trumpworld logic: “The system is rigged against us.”
“The biggest thing to come out of the Twitter Targeting Hoax is that the Presidential Election was RIGGED - And that’s as big as it can get!!!”
— Donald J. Trump via Truth Social, December 9, 2022
If you can’t win, question the rules themselves — it’s easier than playing by them.
Young child logic: “You’re just picking on me” →
Trumpworld logic: “We’re being politically persecuted.”
““Why should a Crooked, highly political New York Judge… and the White House… be allowed to take away… very successful properties.”
— Donald J. Trump via Truth Social, March 25, 2024
When all else fails, cast yourself as the victim — bonus points if you can make it sound heroic.
Young child logic: “I didn’t know that was against the rules” →
Trumpworld logic: “You mean that is disqualifying?”
“Stupid social media activity should not ruin a kid’s life.”
— JD Vance, defending a 25 year-old DOGE staffer fired for racist social media posts
Play naïve and hope the grown-ups believe you didn’t understand the assignment.
2. Retaliation & Denial
Attack the accuser, question their motives, or flat-out reject the claim.
Young child logic: “I was just joking” →
Trumpworld logic: “That was sarcasm, the media took it wrong.”
“Obviously I’m being sarcastic, but not that sarcastic to be honest with you.”
— Donald Trump, claiming that Obama “founded ISIS”
Claiming it was “just a joke” is the classic escape hatch.
Young child logic: “But everyone else does it!” →
Trumpworld logic: “Other politicians have done worse”
“The Democrats don’t have clean hands here… Democrat states have effectively gerrymandered Republicans out of existence.”
— Julian Epstein, Republican strategist on Fox News, August 9, 2025
Point to others to make your own actions seem smaller.
Young child logic: “If I get in trouble, you’ll be sorry.” →
Trumpworld logic: “We’ll sue you into the ground.”
“We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone… I’m going to sue his [Rupert Murdoch’s] ass off.”
— Donald J. Trump via Truth Social, July 18, 2025 after the Washington Post published a bawdy letter purportedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
Turn the tables and make the accuser feel threatened.
Young child logic: Shoulder shrug →
Trumpworld logic: “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know—I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know”
— Donald Trump in reference to being asked if he was required to follow the Constitution.
Sometimes, the easiest way to dodge is to claim you didn’t understand the assignment.
These are just a few examples from thousands of similar statements made by Trump and his administration.
It would be one thing if they used immature techniques on social media but displayed mature, effective leadership in real life. Unfortunately, their actions match their posts.
These so-called leaders have proven that they have never matured beyond a young adolescent — and yet, they are leading our country.
When kids are little, we might laugh when they spin wild stories to dodge blame. But once they know better, it’s neither funny nor cute.
The word discipline doesn’t mean yelling, spanking, or humiliating. It means to teach. Real discipline is about guiding someone to develop self-control, responsibility, and the ability to handle discomfort without collapsing into excuses or deflection.
That’s a gift we owe our children, and it’s a skill we should expect from our leaders.
Because if we don’t expect accountability from the powerful, we shouldn’t be shocked when they act like the playground bully — and we’re the ones getting shoved.
If this spoke to you, a “❤️” helps it reach others who may be wrestling with the same questions.
Speaking out against Trump doesn’t mean you’ve “switched sides.”
It means you still care about truth. About people. About decency.
If you—or someone you love—is quietly rethinking everything, this is a gentle place to start:
👉 Leaving MAGA