Did you ever read Labels for Laibel?
Of course, if a child has so little respect for his father that he will believe his father to have acted for the same selfish reasons as himself, the system of Midah K’neged Mida does not work.
A parent must develop a relationship with his children in a way that they will understand that everything he does is for their own benefit, because he loves them. In this context, Midah K’neged Mida is an incomparable teaching tool.