Hence the impasse we find ourselves upon...

I would be ethically unable to treat a human being like a subhuman pet even though, as you said:

(...) to reason with and convince (...) didn't with out well, because children.

... and that they are not adults.

Nowhere near mature enough to handle that responsibility.

To NOT treat them as equal, to acknowledge their incompleteness as sapient beings, puts me in an impossible position. Parenting makes hypocrites of us all. Some of us can't do it. I would be unable to do it. I know better than to try. It's simply not within my capacity to undermine the autonomy of a being without feeling like I'm punishing them. To do so to a being that has not done anything wrong is corrosive to my humanity.

You have my sympathy that it was so difficult for you to go through. I endeavor to NEVER put someone through that.