I completely disagree with your approach. You don't win against an unreasonable person by escalating the punishment. They're unreasonable, by definition they're

I completely disagree with your approach. You don't win against an unreasonable person by escalating the punishment. They're unreasonable, by definition they're not going to respond like a reasonable person would and back down. It's just a poor strategy. > Also, "because I say so" is the truth and the reason I have understood that since I was a child. My point is that it's an extremely poor reason. You are relying entirely upon your authority as a parent/boss/whatever and not providing any real rationale. Relevant (Specifically "formal authority is a blunt, fragile instrument"): "As an engineer, if you really feel strongly about something, you just go off and do it yourself. As a manager, you have to lead through influence and persuasion and inspiring other people to do things. It can be quite frustrating. “But can’t I just tell people what to do?” you might be thinking. And the answer is no. Any time you have to tell someone what to do using your formal authority, you have failed in some way and your actual influence and power will decrease. Formal authority is a blunt, fragile instrument." https://charity.wtf/2019/09/08/reasons-not-to-be-a-manager/ https://charity.wtf/2019/09/08/reasons-not-to-be-a-manager/