BAD CHILDREN get no Nintendo DS
Since you posted this, may I ask what the children did?
My parents were (thankfully, I say at 40) strict disciplinarians, and my brother and I lived under firm rules. However, Christmas or birthday gifts were never used as a means of punishment. For that, the belt, switch, or handy item of furniture did the trick.
FTR, I have no children.
Sir Rhosis
What happened???
I notice the reserve has not yet been met. Could it possibly have been set so high as to make this an Empty Threat?
I just realized that I assumed it was the OP’s kids… Are they, or is this just something you found on ebay?
Sir Rhosis
No idea what the kids did. A segment from the local news piqued my interest, I did a search on e-Bay for “bad children (!)”, and yes, the item appeared.
I do know of one family that (possibly) canceled Christmas many, many years ago. I was walking by the family’s house on Christmas even (I was eight at the time), and the mom was screaming at the kids about telling Santa not to stop at their house. One house past their house, I glanced back (mom was still screaming) and saw presents go flying from the front door out into the yard. I walked back to Gramma’s veryquickly, and never had the nerve to ask the kids what they got for Christmas.
(On preview) - Nope, no kids of my own. I doubt I would be so furious as to do something like this, even if I did know how to use eBay!
The dad contacted the media about it, as well. I think this was a stunt to earn publicity for his eBay auction. I mean, if his family is “scrimping” on a limited income, what is he doing getting three DS consoles ($150 each) and the same three same games for each one?
http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/1223ebay-grinch23-ON.html
…and $700 in video games?? And the “next tier” of gifts was pretty extravagant as well… I tend to agree with the “publicity for my auction” theory.
With the current price of the system and the three games at over $700 right now, I’m guessing this system must insure the gamer of a “happy ending” at the conclusion of every gaming session.
Sounds like a publicity stunt to me.
Yeah, on checking into the news articles, sounds more and more fishy (fishier?) to me
You would think a major metropolitan daily like the Houston Chronicle would have a little higher journalistic standards than to run a story like this, even at Christmastime.
But selling stolen goods on eBay is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wrong!
Too bad they are going to go out into THE REAL WORLD in ten years and discover that this is patently untrue.
Not to mention that it is terrible to call your children “bad people”. Actions are bad, not people.
There is so much wrong with this father… :rolleyes:
There was an unrelated but similar story in the Sun over here that a father had cancelled his son’s Christmas and decided he wouldn’t be getting any presents. Mind you,son in question had just been busted for burglary and removing almost £2000 of other people’s stuff with a friend…
The listing’s been removed.
And I’m seeing a pattern here. First the Florida parents, camping out in their driveway because their kids won’t do chores, and now this.
One year when my stepsister and stepbrother were teenagers, they got nothing for Christmas. My stepsister had been in all kinds of trouble that year. I’m not sure of the time frame, but at one point the neighbors called the police because my stepsis was beating my stepmom and at another point an anonymous neighbor was sending death threats (angry ones, not serious ones) because of stepsis’s behavior while the parents were out of town. Whether it was before or after this Christmas, I don’t remember, but she also was eventually sent to rebellious teen camp. Anyway, one Christmas she got diddly squat. They had a tree and presents for me and everyone else, just not stepsis.
As for stepbro, he was relatively bad, so he got one expensive present but it was all he got and he had gotten it ahead of time. So nothing under the tree at Christmas.
Most likely I got them both gifts, but I don’t specifically remember that, either. At any rate, the parents didn’t forbid me to give them gifts or anything.
So now you know: sometimes bad kids get no presents at Christmas. Feel free to pass this story on.