Merry @#$!% Christmas

[Alex+R 0]

What a waste of the police's time!

On the other hand, it might save them time a few years down the road! That is, if the punishment was effective in any way, which could be doubtful...

[BJZags 17]

This kid seems to suffer from LOW (Lack of Whipping)

Haha. That's a good one. Or in my family, this is when we are shipped-off to military school for a semester. One semester away from home, you come back asking for permission to do more chores around the house.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Parents are responsible for their children's well being.

Yes they are but here is where it gets sticky, even when the parents are doing all they can to keep the child on track a child with special needs is completely different to a "normal" child. Every child is different, a friend of mine has a son his name is Danial, he is loving and happy but he has ADHD, upset him and all hell breaks loose, the friend is a loving mother she watches what he eats as artifical flavours and E's in the food can cause Danial to go into a mood that is to say the least difficult. Danial goes to a normal high school and has been in a few situations that his mother has had to deal with. Daniel is getting good grades and is now settling into the system.

Second case is Kieren, he is also ADHD and let me tell you he is a monster when angry, he is rude and generally naughty. He attends an ADHD clinic and yes he is on tablets which he takes 3 times aday. If you were to say to Kieren to not do something he would do it anyway (Daniel would not). Kieren is younger than Daniel but with similar backgrounds.

Third case. Lindsey is now 22 years old and lives with her partner in Wales. Lindsey was diagnosed with ODD at 14 years old, I know that my sister her mother had a very difficult time, Lindsey would call the police on my sister and my sister had done nothing wrong, Lindsey would not do anything to help my sister, she would not tidy her room (and I saw what a mess it was) and she would not help herself either, personal hygene was to say the least poor no matter what my sister tried to do to help.

All three cases are different but the children react in the same way, all three had or are having a different approch to parenting, so please if you have not got any experience with children like the three above or the one that the OP mentioned then I do not think it is good to offer an opinion on something you will never (well lets hope you never) have to go through.

I don't doubt those parents are sincere and love their children. I'm stating my opinion here, but what did people do before ADHD? From what I've read attention deficit is brought on and compounded by a number of things - not just chemical, but things like exposing children to hours of unsupervised television at a very young ages. Many families rarely sit down together for a family meal and when they do the television is on. Then introduce gadgets that plug them in and tune them out. Case in point - the article posted stated the gift was a handheld video game player. For Christmas, I'd buy him a sleeping bag and some camping gear - then take him out to wilderness and getting him far away from all the gadgets.

Edited December 6, 2006 by Steven_and_Jinky

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The smoking gun has more details and police reports on the case:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1205062xmas1.html

Which, in my opinion, give me the feeling that although I can understand why the mother thought this was a good idea, I have to wonder if this is really the best way. I know that even police reports can't give us the whole story, but it does show that she was 15 when she had this child, which is rarely going to turn out as well as it should. It also, however, shows the boy has serious aggression problems as he has taken a swing at a officer before. So while I agree this boy needs help...

I personally would think the better idea would be for the punishment to be directly involved with the crime-- Tell him that since he got into his present before he was allowed, that present is no longer his and is going to be given to charity/taken back to the store/etc. Then again, that may have been the plan but she called the cops in advance expecting to squash another assault before it could happen.

That being said, I have to kind of feel bad for the kid, whether he has ADHD or whatever else may be involved here-- Who here, as kids, didn't sneak around trying to find where mommy and daddy hid your presents? Heck, even my fiance has admitted to opening a gift (so that he could piece it back together without his mom knowing) and playing with it before he was allowed. There's an LL Bean commercial that shows the same thing, and it makes me smile because a child's impatience can be cute at times.

I dunno. I do think it was a bit over the top to call the cops in this case, but at least the mom did something. I just hope the boy gets some help wherever he gets shipped off to, rather than being thrown in kiddy jail and only learning to become bitter that he's in jail over opening something meant for him early.

[Lurker 0]

Seems like this mom is placing all the blame on her kid. He didn't just turn into this out of control child by himself. They need to look at several aspects of his life to see what the real problem is instead of just labeling him with ADHD and trying to cure him with meds. I don't have all the experience in the world but I have worked with children with "behavioral disorders" who are placed on medication when they don't need to be. When you look at their past and their family life and the fact that they have individual needs that need to be addressed but are instead clumped together into one category then you can see where the problem is.

As per usual the mother gets the blame ..oh wait a minute the family life is shite too, the child has a problem so the doctor put him on tablets for nothing...give me a bloody break, if you had one of these children for just 24 hours and I mean the whole 24 hours and not just part of it then maybe your attitude will change. I have known children with ADHD, ODD and other special needs and it is not easy for the parents, even with parents who have "normal" lives.

Nothing like a good ol ####### whoopin that can take care of this. Whoop that ADHD or ODD out of that child. Hmmm...maybe I am too old fashioned I guess....maybe I should ask the government to help raise my child because I was just too idiotic to disappline my child everyday.

[Heracles 417]

This kid seems to suffer from LOW (Lack of Whipping)

Haha. That's a good one. Or in my family, this is when we are shipped-off to military school for a semester. One semester away from home, you come back asking for permission to do more chores around the house.

You got that right. Every second kid nowadays is suffering from ADHD or some other #######.

I see it all the time while out and about. The kids run around with no respect for anyone else and their dumb parents just sit there like idiots and let them get away with it. All one needs to do is talk to a elementary teacher to understand what the real cause is.

[Heracles 417]

Nothing like a good ol ####### whoopin that can take care of this. Whoop that ADHD or ODD out of that child. Hmmm...maybe I am too old fashioned I guess....maybe I should ask the government to help raise my child because I was just too idiotic to disappline my child everyday.

There is nothing a good old beating will not fix. Of course there is a fine line between abuse and keeping a child in line. Kids nowadays have absolutely no respect for adults.

I would hate to be a teacher. If I was a teacher, I might as well walk to the local prison as I would most definitely be serving time for beating up big mouth know-it-all parents..