In a peculiar case that recently came to light, a couple from Florida revealed that they resorted to “imprisoning” their three-and-a-half year old son on two occasions in an attempt to resolve his potty training struggles.
According to AP News, the couple, who are both Daytona Beach Shores police officers said they “jailed” their son twice — on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022.
As to why they did it, the father told investigators their daycare center’s policy requires children being diaper-free by the age of 3, however, the boy in question continued to have accidents. While the school showed some leniency, the parents went to great lengths to exhaust every possible method in their quest to successfully potty train their son.
The first incident behind bars occurred for about three minutes with the mother. The second time was for 13 minutes with the father who said he “had eyes on him the entire time.”
According to the father, the tactic had the desired effect, as the child fulfilled his promise to avoid further accidents.
Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Tori Cuddy told The AP that the agency responds to all allegations of of abuse, neglect or abandonment, and that all information involving such cases is confidential.
It’s not clear what repercussions the couple faces — if any — but they’ve gone to court, suing the state attorney’s office in March and separately suing State Attorney R.J. Larizza in May. Those court records are marked confidential and have been sealed by a judge, the city clerk’s office said.