I have endured my share of pubescent teens and apparently it has always been so. Even the most promising children often become a serious problem at puberty.

I can sympathize with the idea of swapping out children at that age. It is difficult to be objective with your own and sometimes the administration of discipline is a confused and disruptive thing. Conflict between the parents is common with Mother or Father having differing opinions regarding discipline. Manipulation by the teen is quickly learned and often used.

Forgetting about the pre-teen children,(barbaric,unthinkable), the practice for teens seems similar to the modern idea of sending boys to the military to become a man. This practice is no longer common. Sometimes it worked and sometimes not but either way the military no longer wastes time with misfits. Difficult cases are simply sent home these days.