Mom Sells Car After Finding Alcohol

Give me a break. This is child abuse plain and simple. Yes, lets publicly humiliate this kid so that he has absolutely no social life and now has lost all trust and respect for his mother. Great way to nurture the family. What a wonderful way to guide and teach a teenager the difference between right and wrong!

The mother even ADMITS she believes her son and that it was not his alcohol but REFUSES to change her punishment and although the car has been sold she is going to continue to run the advertisement in order to continue getting feedback.

Tell me this isn't anything more than some twisted version of Munchausen by proxy. She is getting attention at the expense of her son.

Why not put ...

1-9-2008 12:19 PM

kmcolo

I guess this proves something. That I am a parent.

1-9-2008 1:11 PM

Who's car did she sell them?

1-9-2008 1:26 PM

Aribeth

Bravo!

I guess this proves something. That I am a parent.

This is totally unacceptable!
I guess this proves something. That I am a daughter.

1-9-2008 1:33 PM

Who's car did she sell them

This isn't about the car. It's about the punishment. Sure, sell the damn car, but don't hang the boys soiled sheets out a window for everyone to see.

I suppose if your kid gets caught shoplifting that a suitable punishment would be chopping their hand off? Maybe tattooing "I am a bad child" on their forehead if they caught breaking curfew? How about making them walk naked in public if they don't do their laundry?

Don't mistake this as a demand for no punishment. My kid would have lost his car as well, probably earned more chores and been grounded. But I certainly would not have destroyed their self esteem, ruined their social standing, and complet...

1-9-2008 1:47 PM

I was just making a pedantic comment about a missing apostrophe in the title. Sorry.

1-9-2008 1:49 PM

Aribeth

All right,seriously now,I agree with Oortcloud.You cannot humiliate your kid like this.I don't have kids and my parents keep telling me that when I'll have children I'll understand.Well,I don't know what happens in people's brain then but the way I see it now the punishment is too strict.

1-9-2008 1:53 PM

kacckcm

Are you kidding me? Child abuse? So, he can go and break all the rules that she set and now she's supposed to go and praise him? No way. I applaud her.

That is exactly what is wrong with kids these days. Parents give in and the kids have no concept of right and wrong because they can't handle the kid getting angry at them? Give me a break.

1-9-2008 1:53 PM

wurdzgurl

Waterman: Thanks for pointing that out. Since it's no longer the teen's car (and it probably never was) the whole teen's car part was wrong.

1-9-2008 1:54 PM

wurdzgurl

What sort of abuse would it have been if a car load of teens drinking had hit another car and killed themselves or others. I'd rather humiliate my child then bury her or someone elses.

1-9-2008 1:55 PM

Oh I agree.

I think the way children are exposed in the media; in cases like this and on "reality" tv shows, suppernanny etc. is appalling. I am often dumbfounded by the shortsightedness and ignorance of both parents and media.

1-9-2008 1:58 PM

I mean I agree with Oortcloud.

1-9-2008 2:33 PM

@ JohnWaterman
Sorry JW, I thought you was pointing to the car as a gift or responsibility presented to the son by the parents and not really his and that the action of the whole thing was completely valid because it wasn't his car. Totally misread your meaning. Sorry.

@ wurdzgurl
No one is suggesting there should be no punishment. He should be accountable. The method of punishment is not only unfair, but it actively undermines the character, confidence, self esteem, and public perception. There is no way around it, anyone that feels that type of punishment is valid, helpful, or effective is an idiot.

what is wrong with kids these days

As if the combined problems of the worl...

1-9-2008 2:52 PM

I don't think kids "these days" are any worse than kids those days really. In certain places under certain circumstances maybe, but there are also places and circumstances where kids are fantastic And on the whole I think the trend is positive.

1-9-2008 3:17 PM

kmcolo

I guess I am shifting somewhat in my opinion. I had no problem (and still don't) with her selling his car and I thought it was an ad in the cars for sale section. But it sounds like this is a full page, stand alone ad. Humiliating your kid to that extent is too extreme I think.

1-9-2008 3:42 PM

kacckcm

"what is wrong with kids these days"

"As if the combined problems of the world lie squarely upon the shoulders of our children. Perhaps the correct question should be "What is wrong with parents these days?" "

You've misunderstood, then.

Parents give in and the kids have no concept of right and wrong because
they can't handle the kid getting angry at them? Give me a break.

My point was simply... *maybe* the mother may have gone to an extreme, however; we don't know her or the son and there are probably underlying factors. She showed him that she won't be pushed or manipulated as most teens these days seem to have an excellent ability. She...

1-11-2008 5:03 PM

I'm with kacckcm on this one. If the parents lay out the rule, "No alcohol in the car period," and the kid is fully aware of the rule but lets a friend stow a beer under the seat, then the rule must be upheld. Parents tend to try to stay friends with their kids first versus adhering to the rules and forgetting to parent. This results in kids having no respect and comprehension of what being responsible means. Plus, who knows how many times this goof kid in Iowa had defied his mom. I give the parent the award on this one. The kid will get over it and be a better kid for it.

1-11-2008 7:24 PM

Then bring out the brands, the stockades, the hatchet and the scarlet letter and get things done right. Hell, even the bible says to stone those bratty kids!

1-12-2008 12:21 AM

Or just let the kid ride roughshod over all the rules that are established and make society a baseless facsimile of what reality is suppose to be. Yeah. That's a better idea.

1-12-2008 10:11 AM

Try reading the clip responses AGAIN. Please point out anywhere that someone said this kid should get off free without any punishment?

Or are you just trying to be a troll?

1-12-2008 10:17 AM

skwirlinator

FEAR

1-12-2008 1:16 PM

strider72

Oort --

YOU please read the clip again. Where in it are mentioned "the brands, the stockades, the hatchet and the scarlet letter", or that she should "stone those bratty kids"???

You are conflating this to child abuse by comparing it to things that are no comparison.

You remind me of people comparing the USA to Saddam Hussein because we "torture" them with loud music, while Saddam "tortured" them with mutilation and death.

She _embarrassed_ the kid. She didn't stab him!

Go Mom!

1-13-2008 1:01 PM

Where in it are mentioned "the brands, the stockades, the hatchet and the scarlet letter", or that she should "stone those bratty kids"???

Look at time stamp 1-9-2008 1:33 pm, although I did mention using stocks in my very first comment. Right there it is. Anything else you want me to find since obviously you aren't reading this yourself?

You are conflating this to child abuse by comparing it to things that are no comparison

So embarrassment by stockade or embarrassment by being forced to wearing something to proclaim a misdeed has nothing to do with the embarrassment received from your deeds being posted for all to see?

You are disseminating this away from chi...

1-14-2008 2:44 PM

Seems like only Ooort is of the opinion that this mom took things too far (basing it on the little information we have and not knowing the circumstances of the kids's prior behaviors).

I hear crickets.

1-14-2008 8:35 PM

Seems like only Ooort is of the opinion that this mom took things too far

I guess you find some kind of pride in continue an argument in ignorance? Simply reading back through the discussion, as I suggested earlier, would really save you some embarrassment.

Aribeth said:

All right,seriously now,I agree with Oortcloud

JohnWaterman said:

I mean I agree with Oortcloud.

kmcolo said:

Humiliating your kid to that extent is too extreme I think.

kacckcm said:

*maybe* the mother may have gone to an extreme

Yah, I'm standing alone here. Failing your bandwagon fallacy why don't you try and stay on point rather than a poor attempt at ad hominem.

1-15-2008 1:01 PM

I believe this summary of the story published in The Washington Post says it all. The kid is not harmed mentally. The mom is a superstar and even the classified ad she placed was self-depricating to an extent. Nuff said!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/10/AR2008011003852.html?wpisrc=rss_education

1-15-2008 2:09 PM