A dad who gave his 12-year-old son the birthday “bumps” so hard it left the youngster in pain was arrested by police.
The dad, who cannot be named for legal reasons, smacked his son a dozen times in the back while carrying out the tradition.
But the youngster was left shocked by the force of the blows, calling out: “You’re hurting me.”
The man, who is in his 30s, kept going and his son punched him in the groin in a bid to make him stop.
After the punch, the furious dad grabbed the schoolboy by the neck.
He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday to admit assaulting the boy by repeatedly punching him on the body and seizing his neck in East Lothian.
Fiscal depute Karima Stewart said the man was thrown out the home where the birthday celebrations were taking place and he was later arrested by cops.
Defence agent Cameron Tait said the bumps had started out as “boisterous horseplay and got out of hand”.
Mr Tait said the boy punched his dad “between the legs”, which was “extremely sore”, and his client reacted by seizing the youngster “round the throat”.
The solicitor said his client had had “no further difficulties” with his son since the incident last summer.
Sheriff Adrian Fraser deferred sentence until next month for reports.
