early seedling training- child abuse or character building?

These are pretty standard supercropping/LST techniques,I just apply them much earlier than most people say to. My though is that a plant that is subject to early stresses, and can survive, is going to be a stronger, healthier plant. I've squeezed the stem of seedlings once I see the first set of true leaves, but not the growth tip at this point. I've abused seedlings as soon as I see the second set of true leaves forming...I've had 2-3 week old plants, from seed, already pushing out 2 and 3 lower branch sets. What I've done is got a pair of small hobby needle nose pliers for jewelry making, the kind that have spring tension holding them open and soft plastic coated tips. Once I see the second set of leaves poking up I GENTLY squeeze the growth tip..sometimes I'll squeeze the stem a little between nodes. The first time is very GENTLE, just a squeeze..I try not to crush/smush anything. I'll give them a day or so to recover, until they're standing tall again,then go do it again..a little harder...after the second time..4-6 days(?) you can see new shoots pushing out from the first node. I get more and more aggressive each time until I'm actually crushing the stem and splitting it, and sometimes causing physical growth defects in the growth tip due to crushing of the foliage,it is usually a couple weeks before I get to this point. It works for me, keeps the plants very short, very bushy, but with a much thicker than avg stem of a similar sized plant. I've LST'D seedlings by laying a paper clip/pencil/etc on them.I've considered laying window screening over the top of the pot to restrict vertical growth of a seedling. I started doing this because I had a bagseed plant sprout weeks after I thought it wasn't going to..it was already in the compost bucket when I noticed it growing. I didn't care about it and figured I'd abuse the thing, just to see how hardy MJ really was. I scooped it out with my fingers and stuck it in 4" pot and abused it for close to 4 months. I'd push it down and crush it with my finger, I'd pinch it till it was limp, last stuff on it to hold it down. It never got over 8"tall,but it was around 12"dia and did rootbound a 1gallon pot, truly a neat little bonsai at that point. I kept squeezing it and all it did was get thicker and thicker stems and push out more lower foliage. That 8"tall plant ended up being a 6'tall x 6'dia shrub that I had to defoliate the interior of, which was probably 50% of the plant due to its extensive branching/foliage, and I still ended up with over a 1/2lb off it. Personally I love this method, I like the short plant structure, the tight node spacing, the even canopy. I don't mind the added veg time, I'm not under a time restriction,I start vegging around New year's and put them outside about this time to finish ..although not this year :_(..it just couldn't happen,I'm living vicariously through everyone here at RIU.What's your thoughts? Have I just been lucky I've only lost one seedling out of 6 I've done this too? Could early developmental stress make a plant stronger?More tolerant of stress later? Produce to more of its potential?Anyone else beat their kids?

Do you have any pics?

i wouldnt read that much if i were in the penitentary lol. when u go to flower, she shud be near 9"-12" or more and easily trained. u can do it when smaller if ya want but wont make much diff.