Child arrested for opening Christmas present early

[iMustang]

In a shocking display of parenting prowess, a Rock Hill, S.C. woman reportedly called police and had them arrest her son after he was caught opening a Christmas present early. After receiving the call, police arrested the boy and charged him with petty larceny.
The Rock Hill Herald reported that the child's great-grandmother had warned him repeatedly about opening his present early, protestations that he apparently ignored. The present in question was a Game Boy Advance.
"He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the 63-year-old great-grandmother told the Herald.
When the boy's mother found the package lying unwrapped and empty under the tree, she immediately approached the child, who proceeded to lie to her. After threatening him with calling the police, the boy apparently returned the toy to his begrudging mother, who then called the police anyway. Although he was not jailed, the two officers responding to the call did charge him with petty larceny.
The boy's mother told the Herald that she had reached the end of her rope with the child, and no longer knew what else to do with him. She claimed that she has been struggling with his constant behavior problems for a while now, and could no longer handle his misconduct.
"I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens."
According to the boy's mother, he had already been caught shoplifting, stealing money from her, and punching a police officer. She told the Rock Hill Herald that she hopes this arrest will put a stop to his errant ways, because she is worried about his safety. The newspaper reported that the mother plans on having her son placed in the custody of the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Colombia at his court appearance. -IGN

[RD!]

Sounds true. Let's riot.

[The Guitar Slayer]

If my kid was as bad and stupid as this critter was (you are an idiot if you punch a cop), yeah, I'd call the cops on him. That, and demand a maternity test. Too funny.

[Gatomon41]

I think the police should have arrested the mom for wasting their time. If the boy hass problems, the mother should get other help than people who have more important things to do.

[purplehairedwonder]

That's interesting... kinda funny and sad at the same time. If she had been dealing with a problem child doing things that the article mentioned without responding to any kind of punishment, I don't actually think this was so wrong. Some kids need a harsher lesson before things will set in and this seems to fall into that category.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

63 year old great-grandmother? That requires a repeated history of extremely young pregnancies. ...Yeah, that was my first though reading that.

Its a bizzare story, but based on the child's history, he deserved something bad.


Why would you get such a bad kid a GBA?

[Zeonic Freak]

I think the police should have arrested the mom for wasting their time. If the boy hass problems, the mother should get other help than people who have more important things to do.

Dude, its South Carolina, theres probably nothing to do out there for the police... i just checked the map, its a pretty good size of a town, bout average in the Carolinas, including where i live.

I would have just returned the toy to wherever i got it and the rest of his stuff, and just make the kid go to his room and for him not to have christmas at all.... i think right there would hurt me most than the cops arresting me.

[Stuckey]

63 year old great-grandmother? That requires a repeated history of extremely young pregnancies. ...Yeah, that was my first though reading that.




They could've been 17, which isn't that young.

[Stuckey]

I would have just returned the toy to wherever i got it and the rest of his stuff, and just make the kid go to his room and for him not to have christmas at all.... i think right there would hurt me most than the cops arresting me.


The kid being in juvie kinda includes no Christmas.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

They could've been 17, which isn't that young.

....

How is 17 'not that young' for a pregnancy. I mean, its not unheard of, but its certainly pretty damn young. You're not even legally an adult at that point in your life.

[William C. Maune]

I don't see much of a problem with this, While the Christmas present thing is getting the headline in the News, the problems actually stem from a lot worse things that the kid is doing. It sounds kind of like a scared straight tactic and if it shocks the kid into straightening up, all the better.

[Mr. Manager]

The 63 year old great grandmother thing made me laugh quite a bit.

Anyway, that kid is a brat. He probably shouldn't even have gotten the gift in the first place. Although, it is possible that his brattiness is because his parents spoil him.

[tucsoncoyote]

Six Words: Serious Psychological Therapy for the Family!

Seriously though, I talked with a friend Last night and he and i were discussing this event. He feels that the Mother violated the Kid's Trust when she threatened to call the police and then after he (The Child) gave the gift back, she still called the cops down on her son. A gross violation of Parental Trust.

But OTOH, the Kid was indeed acting like a Spoiled brat, (not poiled, but spoiled), and in fact he (the Child) didn't think mom would punish him until she called the cops. (Now I know a few of you think she should have been arrested for wasting the cops' time, but I tend to disagree). This child was totally way out of line and what would be the next Logical step for this kid after this incident? Breaking into someone elses' house just to take away their videogames? Mugging a Person who has Christmas Presents? Beating up a friend of his just to rob him of his Nintendo Wii?

I think in the end, the mother was justified but I think she also betrayed her son's trust for calling in Police authorities.. I feel that some serious Psychological therapy for the mother and son are in short order here, cause both sides really violated the trust of the other..(the Son for Opening his presents early like the bad Little boy he was, and the Mother, for acting overly zealous and calling the cops in on a minor family disagreement).

but from the looks of it, this could really cost the family a lot..and I don't mean just in therapy bills either. Trust is perhaps the worst thing you can violate and in this case, both sides are guilty of this. so maybe instead of court? Maybe the judge will go and declare that both Mother and Son will have to do 1000 hours of Therapy.. at the family's expense, of course. But in the end, this could be a lesson well learned by both parent AND child.. Not to over-react.

Nuff said.

:coyote:

Just remember this

[Dr.Pepper]

How old was the kid. I don't think that he could have been much older than like seven sice his mom is 27, but then again his great-grandma is 63 so I think this family is pretty messed up. I guess everyone could have been having kids when they were 18. That could make sense.

[Kaoru]

Where is the love?

[The Wolverine]

If I was a cop, I'd arrest the mother for being a psycho and give the boy the GBA just because.

[Punisher]

Hahaha I used to live right around Rock Hill, and it's a decent sized city(though, because it's so close to Charlotte, it's not my first choice of places to go). You know, I'd be surprised if this is the first time something like that has happened over there.

[Romanesque]

How is 17 'not that young' for a pregnancy. I mean, its not unheard of, but its certainly pretty damn young. You're not even legally an adult at that point in your life.Seventeen is only young by very recent standards. It's only a year or less away from legal independence, and some people still get married that young now and then.

--Romey

[limel]

The 63 year old great grandmother thing made me laugh quite a bit.

Anyway, that kid is a brat. He probably shouldn't even have gotten the gift in the first place. Although, it is possible that his brattiness is because his parents poil him.

That cracked me up. And I hear the parents poil him, eh? :lol:

At first I was like, "wtf were the cops thinking???" But once I read " According to the boy's mother, he had already been caught shoplifting, stealing money from her, and punching a police officer," I thought, "oh. Wait, but I thought the mother was psychotic!"

Haha this is almost as bad as the kid in Tampa attempting to steal legos at gunpoint:p

[Dudley]

I use to think this was stupid because of all the fuss this got on the news. The kid shoplifted, punched a cop, stole money from his parent. Opening a Christmas present early is nothing compared to the stuff he did before.

[DarthGonzo]

Haha this is almost as bad as the kid in Tampa attempting to steal legos at gunpoint:p

"Gimme some 4x4 Lego bricks and five of those Duplo cows! NOW!!"

[ThePeterNetwork]

Here's what I think:

Generally, all children have the potential for being naughty. Those who do deserve to be locked up in jail. Not juvenile hall, J-A-I-L. Nothing like state or federal prison, mind you. Maybe a holding cell in a rural police station, just to make them cry.

As for that extremely young mother, she should have been mandated by the state to be spayed and neutered so the next few generations would not have to put up with her future spawn.

[Bugsmer]

The same thing happened to me when I was that age, and yes, my great grandmother was only 63 at the time. Coincidence?

[The Guitar Slayer]

Ok, Great Grandma is 63....born in 1943. She has a kid at 18, for the sake of argument. So that's 1961 (not too bad in the society of the times). Mom is born in 1979. So Grandma had her when she was 18 too (a bit young now, since most people are in college at this stage in history, but still plausible). And this one probably had the holy terror at 18 at most.

Having known people who've had kids at 18 if not younger, it's plausible that with support. The kid is messed up, but it shouldn't be indicative of any other dysfunction in the family.

As for that extremely young mother, she should have been mandated by the state to be spayed and neutered so the next few generations would not have to put up with her future spawn.

Reproductive rights are not to be messed with. At any rate, I'd say she did the right thing in calling the cops on the kid -- even you said the police should be involved -- so how does having her sterilized like a dog help anything? Double standard much? To be frank, it's more cost effective to sterilize men -- less invasive and they don't have a mandatory 9-month waiting period between kiddies.

[Kuja's Light]

That was NOT the right thing..He's a CHILD. Plus she already BOUGHT it, and that's HER kid.

[Gatomon41]

Dude, its South Carolina, theres probably nothing to do out there for the police... i just checked the map, its a pretty good size of a town, bout average in the Carolinas, including where i live.


Still, emergencies can come up at anytime. At least they should send cops coming in on break or not on duty.

[Antiyonder]

Having known people who've had kids at 18 if not younger, it's plausible that with support. The kid is messed up, but it shouldn't be indicative of any other dysfunction in the family.

Maybe so, but most of the times having kids at 18 is a mistake.


What I find odd in most of your threads, despite moving out because of disagree with your parent you always side with the parents in the case. Like many adults, do you think a parent is going to admit a flaw especially for the news. No, because as far as most parents are concerned being imperfect makes you a spawn of Satan.


Half the time when a kid is a troubled individual it is due to the parent not being capable of raising them properly.

In the case of this kid. I'm sure his mom is down on the discipline, but does she ever compliment him or praise him when he is doing something positive? Or does she ignore him then? While it's no excuse, children do act up because they will get attention one way or the other.

Like I'm saying Guitar Slayer, even the sacred and holy adults/parents you praise are capable of being wrong. Another reason why some kids turn out to be brats is because adults like you tend to view them as an inferior age group (Talking down to them, generalizing them). I on the other hand see them as fellow humans who need to be taken seriously. Parents and adults want respect they have to earn it (As opposed to demanding, threatening or buying). I'm not saying it's the case with this kid, but just the same something for you to consider.

[The Guitar Slayer]

What I find odd in most of your threads, despite moving out because of disagree with your parent you always side with the parents in the case. Like many adults, do you think a parent is going to admit a flaw especially for the news. No, because as far as most parents are concerned being imperfect makes you a spawn of Satan.

And do you think that having your child's bad behavior plastered all over the news is an honorable thing? If anything, it makes the parent looks worse, as it appears here and gauging reactions -- the assumption is, automatically, the parent screwed up another person's life. Yet, when the parent does something about it, such as discipline, they're made out to be abusive horrors -- lose-lose.

This reminds me of the guy who returned all of his kids' Nintendo DS-related presents because they were horrible and got flak for it. Bravo for him. If you're going to make a threat, follow through on it, and be consistent. Consistency is good for a kid -- makes it easier to predict consequences and judge whether the gain from disobedience is worth the punishment. That's life skills.

Most of the kid stories that make it on TZ are about the incredibly stupid kid and the long-suffering parent.


Like I'm saying Guitar Slayer, even the sacred and holy adults/parents you praise are capable of being wrong. Could you please point the seemingly innumerable cases where I sided with parents and worshiped the ground they walked on? If you're speaking of the 911 thread where I sided with the operator, it was established that the child was speaking unintelligibly, and the powers granted to her, while perhaps being too much, were used properly. And if you're basing all your opinions of me on that thread, then we could classify that anyone who disagrees with you to be racist and sexist and narrow minded bigots (remember that little statement you made involving myself and James?). Fair opinion from the same source.

I'm not saying it's the case with this kid, but just the same something for you to consider.I'm not the favorite child in my parents' family. That honor goes to the younger sibling. If I was unhappy, they threw money at me, but more at my beloved sister for just existing. I got a 1470 on the old 1600-point SAT, perfect score in verbal. They told me "Why couldn't you crack 1500?" No praise there. I chose my major in humanities (Theatre Arts and History) and had my father say, "What a waste of a mind." I had a few run ins with the pointed end of a belt. That is bad parenting. I only go home when they agree to pay for transportation. Otherwise, I keep my distance. I consider all of the things you point out, but it doesn't give them an excuse to turn out to be crummy human beings. If that was the case, I should go knock over a few 7-11s because Mommy and Daddy didn't love me. Not a valid excuse.

If children are reasonable, serious, and intelligent human beings, then they are responsible for all their actions, and Mommy and Daddy are innocent, completely. Kids aren't reasonable and they haven't been out in the world yet to be taken as seriously on the same level an adult. That's why parents are their guardians, and when they fail, the results are catastrophic. The authority of a parent of a child is important -- they are the caretaker, not the best friend. The kid should have his own best friends his own age rather than Mommy and Daddy clamoring after them. Children have inalienable human rights, but they don't have to be taken seriously when they are tantruming in the middle of Toys R Us.

Parents ultimately have the responsibility of making sure the kid lives until he's 18 and equips him with the tools to be a functional, fairly content/happy individual in society. My sister now has social anxiety problems and fears leaving my parents because they trash talked me so much that she's afraid to leave the nest; I left home at 18, and she heard how horribly my parents thought of me. She doesn't want to lose their love, and it's affecting her quite seriously. I don't think she'll be able to live away from home because of how crippled she is on the inside -- the pressure to be the good daughter. I discounted their opinions from the age of about 10 onward, and I'm faring well so far. They did, however, feed me, clothe me, shelter me, and educate me. I never had a juvie record or misbehaved in school. They're good parents on paper, but some of the worst damage is done outside the book of checks and balances. It's not black and white "good parent/bad parent." Never is. I was a ***** as a kid (still am, but in a different way ;)) and hindsight is 20/20, especially once you leave home. I sympathize with parents of stupid kids, not stupid parents messing up their kids.

Giving a kid fair warning and then calling in the cops is reasonable -- it's the same situation as if a woman went to buy her husband a car for Christmas and he stole it out of the dealership early "because he was going to get it anyway." He'd still be charged by the police. Apparently, the tiny real life consequences aren't making an impact on him, and his mother can see that. Maybe this will.

[Antiyonder]

Could you please point the seemingly innumerable cases where I sided with parents and worshiped the ground they walked on? If you're speaking of the 911 thread where I sided with the operator, it was established that the child was speaking unintelligibly, and the powers granted to her, while perhaps being too much, were used properly. And if you're basing all your opinions of me on that thread, then we could classify that anyone who disagrees with you to be racist and sexist and narrow minded bigots (remember that little statement you made involving myself and James?). Fair opinion from the same source.

Actually, I was refering to nachonaco's thread. It seems in her thread and this you always assume the parent to be the victim/saint. In that thread and this, you sided with the parents first.

As for that 911 thread I apologized and admitted I was wrong on that one, if you'd actually read the whole thing rather than skimming, then you'd know that. I wasn't thinking of the thread until you brought it up.

[The Guitar Slayer]

Actually, I was refering to nachonaco's thread. It seems in her thread and this you always assume the parent to be the victim/saint. In that thread and this, you sided with the parents first.

The fact that Nachonaco uses the fact that her older siblings died young and rubs it in the face of her mother and then expects her to be nice and saintly to her for JUST THAT REASON annoys me. Additionally, I had a similar conversation with my mother regarding to writing and the Peace Corps, and she said much the same. "You won't make it. And what do you do after it doesn't work?" I didn't cry about it on a message board -- I used it to get away from the house and prove them wrong. Success is the best revenge. It's not constructive to say, "Woe is me, my mommy doesn't love me."

As for that 911 thread I apologized and admitted I was wrong on that one, if you'd actually read the whole thing rather than skimming, then you'd know that. I wasn't thinking of the thread until you brought it up.

You emphasized taking kids seriously -- the first incident that popped to mind that involved you and me clashing was the 911 thread. Human memory is a funny thing.

[Antiyonder]

The fact that Nachonaco uses the fact that her older siblings died young and rubs it in the face of her mother and then expects her to be nice and saintly to her for JUST THAT REASON annoys me. Additionally, I had a similar conversation with my mother regarding to writing and the Peace Corps, and she said much the same. "You won't make it. And what do you do after it doesn't work?" I didn't cry about it on a message board -- I used it to get away from the house and prove them wrong. Success is the best revenge. It's not constructive to say, "Woe is me, my mommy doesn't love me."

But, your mom could have worded it like this "Just don't be too sure of yourself, make sure to have a back up plan for your future". It's called tact.


Parents ultimately have the responsibility of making sure the kid lives until he's 18 and equips him with the tools to be a functional, fairly content/happy individual in society. My sister now has social anxiety problems and fears leaving my parents because they trash talked me so much that she's afraid to leave the nest; I left home at 18, and she heard how horribly my parents thought of me. She doesn't want to lose their love, and it's affecting her quite seriously. I don't think she'll be able to live away from home because of how crippled she is on the inside -- the pressure to be the good daughter. I discounted their opinions from the age of about 10 onward, and I'm faring well so far. They did, however, feed me, clothe me, shelter me, and educate me. I never had a juvie record or misbehaved in school. They're good parents on paper, but some of the worst damage is done outside the book of checks and balances. It's not black and white "good parent/bad parent." Never is. I was a ***** as a kid (still am, but in a different way ;)) and hindsight is 20/20, especially once you leave home. I sympathize with parents of stupid kids, not stupid parents messing up their kids.

You may not be a hoodlum/punk, but your comments seem to strike me as shall we say cold.

When I said that kids aren't being taken serious by adults, I meant that adults will make generalizations that children are suboardinates to them, not people.

I agree with you that parents should be parents and not friends, but are you saying that even when a kid is well behaved that a parent should be hateful and ill-mannered towards him/her. Just because it happened to you doesn't mean it's the way things work around the world. It's not enough that parents "feed you, clothe you, shelter you, and educate you", they need to be able to show kindness and love when it's due.


To bring our comment into topic:

There's a term which describes my opinions, it's called being well-rounded. Your parents were too hard on you, and the kid in this topic, his parent wasn't hard enough on him until now. His mom should have demonstrated discipline the moment he was old enough to be held accountable for his mistakes. It wouldn't have killed your mom and dad to be more supportive and loving.

My parents are jsut as prone to making msitakes as well as yours, and again "The Kid" we're talking about, yet mine alternated between being friendly and hard pretty well. The worst things I've done, leave a dish out for a few hours, and getting a warning in class for talking. No detention, no trouble with the law.

I know you think it's a fairy tale, but some parents can and have been successful with being authoritative and kid hearted. Being strict and serious doesn't mean being resentful or ill-mannered towards someone.

[The Guitar Slayer]

But, your mom could have worded it like this "Just don't be too sure of yourself, make sure to have a back up plan for your future". It's called tact.

Shock treatment. It's a style of parenting. Not a good one, but it does work. Making the child fear you and making the child respect you does the same job -- it just has different aftereffects. I don't agree with my mother's methods, but she got the point across.

You may not be a hoodlum/punk, but your comments seem to strike me as shall we say cold.

Hindsight. 3650 miles of distance at the moment. Besides, I am of the view that whining does nothing. Go be productive. To hell with your past, seize the future.

When I said that kids aren't being taken serious by adults, I meant that adults will make generalizations that children are suboardinates to them, not people.

Children are people, but they are subordinate. They live under their parents' rule and authority until they attain their majority, because if they didn't, most would Darwin themselves by misadventure.

I agree with you that parents should be parents and not friends, but are you saying that even when a kid is well behaved that a parent should be hateful and ill-mannered towards him/her.

Not at all. Read. I don't believe my parents' methods were correct or effective, particularly with the aftermath of me leaving. They may intend the best, but the skills are lacking. Intention and execution are two different things. When I become a parent, I won't do most of the things my parents did, though I will maintain the basic values they taught. The ideas are good on paper -- carrying them out varies person to person, and I intend to learn and be a better mom. And remember, I also said that I wasn't as well-loved as my sister -- not the favorite. That's not to say I don't know how to love and what love should be like -- I was heavily involved with someone for over a year, and I was quite happy with him and his family.

It's not enough that parents "feed you, clothe you, shelter you, and educate you", they need to be able to show kindness and love when it's due.

The feeding, clothing, etc., are required by the state and for the purpose of supporting the human population. That's what I got. Love and kindness is not mandatory, life-giving thing. I had it before my sister was born, but it was yanked from me. I lived. Hard. But I lived. I've managed to maintain friendships, family relationships, and personal relationships that were all based in love -- I just never got it from the parents. It should be a requirement that you love the kid no matter what, but it doesn't happen that way all the time. It's not me saying, "All parents should hate their kids and treat 'em like crap." It's me saying, "Parents should love their kids no matter what -- but that's hard sometimes. Roll along anyway -- something will be found."

I know you think it's a fairy tale, but some parents can and have been successful with being authoritative and kid hearted. Being strict and serious doesn't mean being resentful or ill-mannered towards someone.

Nah, I've always felt that my parents and sib were Cinderella's evil stepsisters. :p Love is true and love is real -- I just don't like whining about what I didn't have and blaming other people for my shortcomings. I'm the biggest romantic you'd ever meet (I LOVE Valentine's Day and Christmas and all the warm fuzzies that go with it), but I've studied psychology and philosophy a lot -- I'm arguing from an objective view about what happened to me. If I was totally subjective, yeah, you'd get a lot of emo kiddie rage. It's not productive. I don't agree with what my parents did and perhaps they didn't have good motives at heart, but I came out ok anyway. My family is dysfunctional, yes. I have seen good parenting in action and when I've visited families, I've been on the receiving end. It's nice.

My point is, I don't buy stories about kids who use parents as their excuse for ruining their own lives. You have to stop blaming Mommy and Daddy and move the hell on with your life. Stop wasting it on the past.

[Antiyonder]

The feeding, clothing, etc., are required by the state and for the purpose of supporting the human population. That's what I got. Love and kindness is not mandatory, life-giving thing. I had it before my sister was born, but it was yanked from me. I lived. Hard. But I lived. I've managed to maintain friendships, family relationships, and personal relationships that were all based in love -- I just never got it from the parents. It should be a requirement that you love the kid no matter what, but it doesn't happen that way all the time. It's not me saying, "All parents should hate their kids and treat 'em like crap." It's me saying, "Parents should love their kids no matter what -- but that's hard sometimes. Roll along anyway -- something will be found."

But all important things in life are suppose to be hard. If it was easy, it would be a hollow victory and a sham.

Children are people, but they are subordinate. They live under their parents' rule and authority until they attain their majority, because if they didn't, most would Darwin themselves by misadventure.

The kind of Children I'm refering to are ones who are well behaved, responsible and still get the crap treatment. In that case it's the adult who needs to grow up.


My point is, I don't buy stories about kids who use parents as their excuse for ruining their own lives. You have to stop blaming Mommy and Daddy and move the hell on with your life. Stop wasting it on the past.

I don't condone blamming parents either, just saying that they need to set a good example just the same.


I'd have to say I have a better understanding on your views now, and I hope any furthur discussions we may have will be with this tone.

[Zeonic Freak]

Still, emergencies can come up at anytime. At least they should send cops coming in on break or not on duty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmyoNeTXT8I

Go to about 1:07, I think me and Craig Fergusion are on the same page, like the rest of us.

Just something i wanted to share with everyone...

[Kury Wagner]

Petty larceny? It was a kid! And it was his present, to boot. What a waste of time, police officers. Now, okay, surely the kid is said to have a previous record, but this event is in reference to a gift from his family, which was in his home. It's not as if he went to a store and jacked it. However, changing of custody seems fitting, in the big picture. The boy obviously needs punishment.

I'd like to know just how old the kid is, though.
Anyway, that kid is a brat. He probably shouldn't even have gotten the gift in the first place. I concur. What's the deal with even getting him a present, especially a handheld, if he's such a horrible child that she cannot control?

Maybe so, but most of the times having kids at 18 is a mistake.Maybe kids conceived before the mother was 18 weren't planned, but calling a human a mistake is grounds for me to get extremely pissed off. Especially considering certain circumstances in my own family. Watch your words next time, please.

[Antiyonder]

Maybe kids conceived before the mother was 18 weren't planned, but calling a human a mistake is grounds for me to get extremely pissed off. Especially considering certain circumstances in my own family. Watch your words next time, please.

The human being born isn't a mistake, the mistake is that some (not all) parent didn't prepare themselves. Some of those unprepared parents do unfortunately take it out on the child at a later date. I'm sorry if it sounded like I was saying/implying anything about a particular child.

[ElBarto]

hahaha. that kid was owned

[limel]

I use to think this was stupid because of all the fuss this got on the news. The kid shoplifted, punched a cop, stole money from his parent. Opening a Christmas present early is nothing compared to the stuff he did before.

It was kinda like the icing on the cake, I guess.

"Gimme some 4x4 Lego bricks and five of those Duplo cows! NOW!!"

:lol:

[darknight_91]

To begin with I can't believe that the grandma actually called the police on the kid. I mean he can't be older then ten. And my experience shows that kids around that age tend to have tempers. Plus if the great-grandma didn't want the kid to get into the present then why did she leave it in such easy access to the kid. If I wanted to keep the present from the kid I would keep it in a high place or something. And with the thought that the great-grandma should have kept the present out of the kids reach, why is it such a big deal that the kid opens the present early? If it wasn't supposed to be given him then disciplinary actions should be put into effect (but still not as harsh as the child was put through) but since the present was going to be given to him anyway there shouldn't be that much of commotion raised about it.

And the way I see it, the harsh punishment is not only a sign of ignorance and stupidity, but also a sign of bad parenting. If a child is being bad, the logical solution for the problem is to reprimand the kid with a suitable punishment. But instead the childs guardians decided to call the cops. If the adults were not able to deal with the kid (whether it be trying to get help from the appropriate parenting programs that have put into effect all over this nation, or just putting the kid into a very long time out so that he could calm down and see the error in his ways), but no, the guardians of that child decide to call the cops, who have to have way better and more productive things to do then try to calm a toddler down and have the kid have a black mark on the records that different organizations might look at later on in the kids life.

So what many of you may think is funny, is actually a very serious thing. And for those of you that think that I am an extremist let me tell you this. We live in a time when most of a persons most private information is accessible by colleges and corporations easier then taking a crap in the toilet. And there are colleges out there that will actually look at an applicants myspace (if they have one of course) and see what they actually did and talked about in their High School years.

So why do all of you find this funny?

[Deadman]

thats insane.

[Zach]

The present is his anyway. It's absurd to have a child arrested for taking a Christmas present from the tree early. Children do those kinds of things, and you can't possibly justify having this child arrested. The way things work in society today is ridiculous.

[Hurricane V1]

I support the mother in this decision. The way I see it, the worst outcome that can happen to someone on a dark path is being imprisoned. Let the kid know where he's heading and he'll shape up.

[Antiyonder]

I support the mother in this decision. The way I see it, the worst outcome that can happen to someone on a dark path is being imprisoned. Let the kid know where he's heading and he'll shape up.

From what I've read, this was the first time she punished him though.
"I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens."

Again, I'm not condoning nor excusing the actions of the kid, but if his mom made earlier attempts to discipline him, things wouldn't have gotten so far out of hand. Again, I'm not making excuses, but the mom earns a portion of the blame for not acting sooner. Both of them need to work on their problems.

[The Guitar Slayer]

I wouldn't be so fast to say that the mother hasn't tried to discipline him in the past. She probably has but he has resisted it and essentially made life hell. I know good parents who did a great job with 4 kids and the 5th one was a corker (and before you jump on the population number, it was common back then to have 4+ kids and they lived comfortably). It's not bad parenting; sometimes the kid just has a big, Mt. Rushmore size chip on his shoulder.


As to the "it was his present anyway" argument, think of it this way. If I buy my husband a Porsche for Christmas, but I leave it in the hands of the dealer and do not give my husband the papers for it yet, and he goes into the dealership and takes it, he can be prosecuted for auto theft. Until the gift is given, it is the possession of the giver or the store owner from which it is purchased.

[YoshiAngemon]

Jeez. This may be ridiculous, but it's somewhat right. Still, it's probably best that there be NANNIES on call, 24-7-365, just to make sure all kids are well behaved, and possibly whipped for their endless misdeeds! And I don't care if they're black OR white, they'd DESERVE to get a whipping.

... Okay, that sounded racist. And if Christmas ever gets cancelled, all because of a rise in bad behavior, then maybe Santa Claus Doesn't Exist at all, and we'll just need to have a Non-denominational Holiday, where we only get money, and we spend it on whatever we think is fit. NOW GET OUTTA HERE!! I'm Boney, I'm Boney, Leave me ALOOONEY!!!

[Yusuke Urameshi]

What is the penalty for opening your Christmas presents too early?

For one South Carolina 12-year-old, the penalty was arrest.

A Rock Hill, S.C., woman called police and asked them to arrest her son who opened a Christmas present early after being told not to, the Rock Hill Herald reported. Police went to the house and arrested the boy and charged him with petty larceny.

The paper reported that the boy's great-grandmother had specifically told him not to open his present, which contained a Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It was wrapped and lying under the Christmas tree, the police report stated.

But on Sunday morning, the gift was unwrapped and the box was empty. So when the boy's mother found out, she alerted police, the paper reported.

"He took it without permission. He wanted it. He just took it," the 63-year-old great-grandmother told the Herald.

The women said that the boy lied to them at first, saying he was unaware of where the video game system was. After threat of calling the police, the boy apparently gave the toy back to his mother, the paper reported. But the upset mother called police anyway.

Two officers responded and charged the child as a juvenile with petty larceny, although he was not jailed.

The mother told the Herald that she didn't know what else to do with her son, so she called police. The paper reported she is a single mother and has been struggling with constant behavior problems from the boy. She said her son still showed no remorse when the police came.

"I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens."

She said he has shoplifted, stolen money from her, punched a police officer and is nearing expulsion from school. She told the paper that she hopes this arrest will be a wake-up call for her son, because she worries about getting a call someday telling her he's been killed.

The mother plans to have her son placed with the state Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia at his court appearance, the Herald reported.


Now thats crazy.

[Chykin]

*Goes to get a smilie that looks shocked enough*
This will have to do for now... but I'll be back. :eek:

[johnny139]

I think I'm more concerned about the 63-year-old great-grandmother.

[The Cartoon]

Ok, the child might have some problems but arresting him will probably just make them worse. Also, who gets a Gameboy Advance anymore?

[Chykin]

I think these'll do. http://planetsmilies.net/shocked-smiley-9466.gif http://planetsmilies.net/shocked-smiley-9497.gif http://planetsmilies.net/shocked-smiley-9489.gif http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/shocked003.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/)

[Temple Fugate]

Wasn't this exact story reported last year?

[Megaman X]

This story sounds somewhat familiar but still the mother is crazy to do that to her child. I mean seriously what kind of parent overreacts that much? Sure the kid needs help but don't send him to jail!

Shows how dumb parents can act.

[Czar Gato]

Wasn't this exact story reported last year?
Exactly what I was thinking. News must be slow in Rock Hill, SC.

[J'onn J'onzz]

This story is at least two years old. I KNOW I heard it last year, and I'm about 80% sure I did in 2006, too. the GBA should be the tipoff.

[veemonjosh]

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179794&highlight=63-year-old+great-grandmother+Game+Boy+Advance+arrested

So yeah, this news is at least two years old.

[J'onn J'onzz]

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=179794&highlight=63-year-old+great-grandmother+Game+Boy+Advance+arrested

So yeah, this news is at least a year old.
Two years, that thread is from 2006.

[veemonjosh]

Two years, that thread is from 2006.

Even worse. :sweat:

This topic should probably be merged with that one then.

[defunctzombie]

I saw something like this on COPS when I was waiting for Star Trek to be on a couple years ago. Kid was being bad so granny called the police.

[Light Lucario]

Even though this news is two years old, it still is horrible that the mother would overreact like that. She had no idea what to do with her child so she called the cops on him for opening a Christmas present? Talk about bad parenting. He just opened his gift early and then lied about it. It wasn't as bad as actually stealing something that wasn't his in the first place.

[KPTitan]

*laughs so hard that I fall through the floor* Omg, this proves how crazy Southerners are! Just kidding, just kidding...;)

Honestly, I feel sorry for the boy. I can understand why he opened up his present "too early", I've been tempted to do the same thing. But honestly, petty larceny for opening a Christmas present "too early?" What parent would do that to there own child? That's just stupid. In the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

[Cartoonlover]

The mother's side:
He misbehaves
He gets in trouble
He causes problems
He took it witjout asking

The son's side:
It was a Christmas present
A lot of kids open them early
I was arrested for no reason by my mother
My mother tells how bad I am

The Result:
A boy who needs help instead of handcuffs is arrested for opening a present early, which tons of people do.

My Verdict:
The boy needs to change, but the mother acted in a way beyond words. The mother made one of the worst decisions I ever heard in my entire life, but the son does shoulder some blame. Case closed.

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/court%20hammer1.jpg

[EinBebop]

About time they start cracking down on this ****.

[KPTitan]

About time they start cracking down on this ****.

Cracking down on what? The opening the Christmas presents early or the stupidity of the entire case? Sorry for asking, I'm just wonderin'.:sweat:

[Super Leviathan]

Wasn't this exact story reported last year?

Seconded. This feels eerily like Deja Vu, unless this is a different instance of the same "crime" happening.

[EinBebop]

Cracking down on what? The opening the Christmas presents early...Yes. They should be tried as adults. And we bring caning to the united states.

[Rolling Cloud]

Wait so, just because he opened up a present early he's getting charged with larceny? What the **** is wrong with this person?

Also, I don't believe all that stuff 'bout him "shoplifting, punching officers, etc." considering the mother's not completely innocent here either (since she's supporting the dumb arresting reason.)

[speedy fast]

So why was this article listed under spoiler?

[KPTitan]

Yes. They should be tried as adults. And we bring caning to the united states.

But it's just a present that you get on a holiday, it's stupid. Doing all those things like that over a damn toy isn't worth it.

[purplehairedwonder]

Even worse. :sweat:

This topic should probably be merged with that one then.Ask and you shall receive.

[EinBebop]

But it's just a present that you get on a holiday, it's stupid. Doing all those things like that over a damn toy isn't worth it.Neither is risking those things over a damn toy. If we can't control them with ritalin, we'll break their spirits.

[Zeonic Freak]

Huh, i see Kuwa and Yoshi with Banned under their names, i see my post from 2 years ago....

Its safe to assume, this is an old as crap thread.

Wow, i barley remember this thread, my how time flies...

[Pomegranate]

Neither is risking those things over a damn toy. If we can't control them with ritalin, we'll break their spirits.

Opening a present before X-Mas day doesn't warrant a punishment that strict. The police should spend more time dealing with real crimes out there rather than a young child who's just a little mischievious. Besides, that's how most children are during the Winter holiday season.:shrug:

[EinBebop]

Opening a present before X-Mas day doesn't warrant a punishment that strict. The police should spend more time dealing with real crimes out there rather than a young child who's just a little mischievious. Besides, that's how most children are during the Winter holiday season.:shrug:Okay, I admit... I just crave the taste of a child's tears.

I guess I'd better stop this now, as fun as it is. Really... capital punishment? caning? How absurd do I have to get for people to tell that I'm not being serious?

[Pomegranate]

Okay, I admit... I just crave the taste of a child's tears.

I guess I'd better stop this now, as fun as it is. Really... capital punishment? caning? How absurd do I have to get for people to tell that I'm not being serious?

This is the internet, so nobody can tell whether you're serious or not unless you used an emoticon or something else to help express your true feelings on a certain issue.

[The Falcon]

Okay, I admit... I just crave the taste of a child's tears.

I guess I'd better stop this now, as fun as it is. Really... capital punishment? caning? How absurd do I have to get for people to tell that I'm not being serious?I am proud to admit that I have never taken you seriously.

[.bg]

This is an extremely old thread which ought to be locked, but the mother is clearly in the wrong here because instead of disciplining her own child, she called the police and made them do it instead. Therefore, she wasted the officers' time.

[veemonjosh]

This is an extremely old thread which ought to be locked

Yes, but the reason it was revived was because someone posted a topic about this same subject recently. Thus, there's no real reason to have two separate threads on the same news report, even though the last one was two years ago.

[Dr.Pepper]

If you are 63-years-old and you have a great-grandson whose 12, your family has some problems. (No offense to anyone).

[Michael24]

Hope the kid finally got it through his head he needs to change his attitude. Sounds like there was much more behind it than just a simple incident of opening a present early. Sounds like he's been into all sorts of stuff, and the mother's last resort was to have the police put a scare into him. Hopefully it worked and the little brat learned a lesson.

[J!!!]

What kid would want a GBA anyway? Now a DS lite.........

[veemonjosh]

What kid would want a GBA anyway? Now a DS lite.........

This was two years ago, back in 2006.

The DS was just coming out, so unless you had a way of splurging $150, a GBA was your best bet at a portable system.

[DarthGonzo]

This was two years ago, back in 2006.

The DS was just coming out...

The DS had been out for 2 years already.

[KPTitan]

Regardless if this story is 2 years old or not, it's still a pretty stupid situation. I wouldn't be suprised if a similar situation or more have happened recently.:sweat:

[Galaxy 9000]

I'm ashamed to live in this town.

[Jackson54]

Talk about lack of humanity.

[KPTitan]

Okay, I admit... I just crave the taste of a child's tears.

I guess I'd better stop this now, as fun as it is. Really... capital punishment? caning? How absurd do I have to get for people to tell that I'm not being serious?

You were kidding? Whoops.....my bad.:sweat: Like what Pomegranete said earlier, it's kinda hard to tell if someone's kidding on the 'net, mostly because we can't read the user's face expressions to tell if they're serious or not. I tend to do that though off the net too, I kinda take stuff seriously because I'm a really detailed person.:o Sorry 'bout the confusion...

[Super Leviathan]

The DS had been out for 2 years already.

The Lite has. In total, it's been out closer to 4 years.

[DarthGonzo]

The Lite has. In total, it's closer to 4.

No, I meant the DS had been out for 2 years in 2006. It's 4 years as of now.

[Temple Fugate]

And yet it still costs $129.99.

[DarthGonzo]

And yet it still costs $129.99.

And it's still selling amazingly well. No reason for Nintendo to lower the price.

[Daxdiv]

And yet it still costs $129.99.

You upset that there isn't a game bundle with the system? Cause that the only complaint I've heard.

[Antiyonder]

What kid would want a GBA anyway? Now a DS lite.........

Someone who might want to try the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles perhaps?

[purplehairedwonder]

Someone who might want to try the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles perhaps?Hah, the only gaming device I have is a GBA. And I still play with it occasionally ;)

[cyde]

The kid being in juvie kinda includes no Christmas.Just wait till next year. But seriously, that is child abuse.

[BrendaBat]

Considering all the other behavioral problems the kid had (shoplifting, punching cops, etc.), I think that the present thing was simply the straw that broke the camels back. I hope this incident scared the kid straight and that the family was able to get the help they needed.

However, while I sympathize with the great-grandmother, I think it was wrong to call 911 on the kid. 911 is for REAL emergencies. People shouldn't waste valuable police time on non-emergency situations like this.

[Jtaylor1]

Children are sometimes curious of figuring out what's inside their Christmas presents.