Thor: Look what I found in the purse.
Lucas: What is it?
Thor: I have no idea.
Max: That's a tampon. Girls shove it up their buttholes to stop babies from coming out. An eighth grader told me that.
Max: We need to get rid of the drugs.
Thor: We can throw it in the forest.
Lucas: It's a sex drug. What if a fox eats it and tries to fuck a squirrel? It'll kill him.
Hannah: This is what happens when you don't respect women.
Lucas: I respect women. My mom's my best friend.
Thor: What about me?
Thor: Does this look like a sippy cup? No, it's a fucking juice box! Because I'm not a fucking child.
Max's Dad: I will always love you, but I no longer like you.
Max: We're in sixth grade now. We need to start doing sixth-grade things.
Annabelle: I know what cocaine is.
Max: Annabelle! Get the fuck out of here! Beanbag boys only, you little shit! Annabelle's been watching Dateline. She now knows what cocaine is.
Annabelle: Hi.
Max: Oh, my god.
Thor: What the fuck?
Annabelle: Let me a beanbag boy. I'll grow a tiny penis like Thor's.
Thor: Mom.
Answer: Max's dad probably over-reacted out of anger/rage over the drone and destroyed room and might have made changes after he cooled off. Plus, it was meant to be humorous. A "month in the hole" was immediately imposed; no more birthdays, holidays, summer, etc. would refer to after the month in the hole. Max's dad did not say he couldn't attend school-related events, such as the "Rock of Ages" show. Parents are supposed to give their kids unconditional love. A father can continue to love his son while disliking his behavior. Max's dad may have been unduly harsh (again, out of anger), but he still loves Max - which shouldn't be depressing. I don't think Max's dad said he was grounded for life, just grounded. However, Lucas told his parents that Max was grounded for life - an exaggeration.
KeyZOid
So, even after being grounded for a month, he can't celebrate his birthday or summer vacation?
Not necessarily. Max's dad said those things in the heat of the moment. Although it is possible that Max's dad meant what he said (at least at the time), it isn't probable. The severity of the punishment given to Max was a reflection of how angry Mr. Newman was. A proud and loving father who tells his son "I will always love you..." is more likely to forgive Max so that they can return to their good father/son relationship.