X-Mas and the X-Tian Way

Mephisto

Philosopher
Mephisto
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
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What better way to celebrate the birth of a saviour who promotes forgiveness, understanding and compassion, especially during the season of His birth?

Kid arrested for playing with Christmas present

POSTED: 9:45 a.m. EST, December 6, 2006

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- A fed-up mother had her 12-year-old son arrested for allegedly rummaging through his great-grandmother's things and playing with his Christmas present early.

The mother called police Sunday after learning her son had disobeyed orders and repeatedly taken a Game Boy from its hiding place at his great-grandmother's house next door and played it.

He was arrested on petty larceny charges, taken to the police station in handcuffs and held until his mother picked him up after church. (Watch when the mom plans to give up custody of the boy )

"My grandmother went out of her way to lay away a toy and paid on this thing for months," said the boy's mother, Brandi Ervin. "It was only to teach my son a lesson. He's been going through life doing things ... and getting away with it."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/05/christmaspresent.arrest.ap/index.html
______________

Sounds like this Mom may have given herself an early Christmas gift.
 
Well the kid has a serious discipline problem and is also facing school expulsion, so frankly I can understand the mother's actions. However, if she thinks that police discipline will be effective, then she must believe that her son responds to discipline, full stop. And if that's the case, then her own must be seriously lacking.
 
tkingdoll said:
However, if she thinks that police discipline will be effective, then she must believe that her son responds to discipline, full stop. And if that's the case, then her own must be seriously lacking.
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I don't know if it's that simple. There are certain consequences in society for secreting into someone's home and taking something that is not yours at that point. One of those consequences is arrest. The actions may seem extreme, but shielding a child from consequences isn't always an effective parenting technique either - even if it does make a strong appeal to emotion.

Had the same child went into to your home to take his pick of the Christmas presents, you'd be calling the cops at the very least - right? I can only guess that was the lesson the parent was trying to reinforce here.
 
Why the Running With Scissors avatar anyway, teek? Are you about to go Postal on us?
 
Cylinder said:
I don't know if it's that simple. There are certain consequences in society for secreting into someone's home and taking something that is not yours at that point. One of those consequences is arrest. The actions may seem extreme, but shielding a child from consequences isn't always an effective parenting technique either - even if it does make a strong appeal to emotion.

Had the same child went into to your home to take his pick of the Christmas presents, you'd be calling the cops at the very least - right? I can only guess that was the lesson the parent was trying to reinforce here.
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Oh, I completely agree, I think I would have done the same thing. What I'm curious about is why she thinks her son will respond to police discipline when he won't respond to hers, and whether or not her calling the police is a substitute for her own discipline or if she really was at the end of her tether.

Of course, I'm just musing because we'll never know any more than the story gives us, which is little.
 
Personally, after the first incidence, I would have warned the kid that if they pulled that again, then they would not be getting anything for christmas. And if it happened again, I would have had the kid come with me as I handed the present to the Marine at Toys for Tots.

Taking away his toys that he wants so much sounds like a lot better punishment than sending him to jail for an hour.
 
Cylinder said:
I don't know if it's that simple. There are certain consequences in society for secreting into someone's home and taking something that is not yours at that point. One of those consequences is arrest. The actions may seem extreme, but shielding a child from consequences isn't always an effective parenting technique either - even if it does make a strong appeal to emotion.

Had the same child went into to your home to take his pick of the Christmas presents, you'd be calling the cops at the very least - right? I can only guess that was the lesson the parent was trying to reinforce here.
Click to expand...

You're right that there are consequences for stealing, but it's my opinion that it's also a parent's responsibility to ensure that their child DOESN'T end up in police custody. This is clearly a family matter and involving the police only clarifies the notion that the woman doesn't know how to manage her child (or doesn't want to) and is looking for the authorities to delve out the punishment.

I'm sure there is a unseen pattern here; perhaps the child has been shuffled off to be raised by television and Game Boy, and the mother is distraught when he doesn't do what she asks.

Either way, I think she'll reap the future benefits as once the child is perceived by police as a trouble maker, he'll inevitably end up in future entanglements. The bad thing is; the child will end up paying the price (probably incarceration) instead of learning WHY he should respect the property of others.
 
My big thought here was why they were so stupid to keep putting it back in the same "hiding" place.
 
Mephisto said:
What better way to celebrate the birth of a saviour who promotes forgiveness, understanding and compassion, especially during the season of His birth?

Kid arrested for playing with Christmas present

POSTED: 9:45 a.m. EST, December 6, 2006

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- A fed-up mother had her 12-year-old son arrested for allegedly rummaging through his great-grandmother's things and playing with his Christmas present early.

The mother called police Sunday after learning her son had disobeyed orders and repeatedly taken a Game Boy from its hiding place at his great-grandmother's house next door and played it.

He was arrested on petty larceny charges, taken to the police station in handcuffs and held until his mother picked him up after church. (Watch when the mom plans to give up custody of the boy )

"My grandmother went out of her way to lay away a toy and paid on this thing for months," said the boy's mother, Brandi Ervin. "It was only to teach my son a lesson. He's been going through life doing things ... and getting away with it."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/05/christmaspresent.arrest.ap/index.html
______________

Sounds like this Mom may have given herself an early Christmas gift.
Click to expand...
As fascinating as this morsel is, doesn't it belong in the Religion forum?

DR
 
Darth Rotor said:
As fascinating as this morsel is, doesn't it belong in the Religion forum?

DR
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Normally I might agree, but this is definitely a current event AND a social issue. :)

Does anyone agree that turning the child over to police is a good idea?
 
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