Bottom line: whose money is paying for this beach house? Are these kids using Mommy’s or Daddy’s VISA to make the reservation?
Every kid has a phone these days. And who pays for it? “Oh, it’s cheaper to stay on Dad’s family plan.”
Guess what? If Dad’s name is on the bill, and especially if it is Dad’s checking account set up to autopay, then DAD can call Verizon or Sprint and say, “Block this number on my account.”
Easy-peasy
~VOW
That only works if all of them are using Daddy’s and/or Mumsie’s money, and all of the Daddies and/or Mumsies cut them off. In reality, what would happen is that those who aren’t cut off will offer crash space to those few who are cut off.
Good point — although I’m often impressed by the sense of responsibility and judgment among my students (state college system, not the big research-1 campus). They aren’t all academically curious, but they are more mature than I was at that age when it comes to this sort of thing.
In this particular case, ignoring rather a lot of pertinent facts:
All in all, it would have been hideously irresponsible of them to travel, even if they’d been able to get accommodations.
There’s quite a lot of pushback by locals in “vacation destinations” because of people trying to flee the cities to their second homes - and carrying the virus with them. Not just relevant to “stupid kids on spring break”, but travelling in general: my daughter lives in Vermont. The entire state’s population is just over half that of my home county and has roughly the same number of cases as my county. It has 1/4 the number of cases in my state (with a population about 13 times that of Vermont).
Her town is near several ski resorts - and a lot of people from New York etc. have second homes up there. They are travelling to their second homes and often bringing the virus with them.
Oh, she was trying to convince her parents to do this with her. She might or might not have had the money to pay for it - my point is not the parents supporting (or not - and in fact they refused) but that she was pushing for it, without considering the risks. The parents, being reasonably sensible, said “hell no”.
It’s not just Vermont: Ski Vacation Hot Spot Becomes Virus Ground Zero in Idaho
This. Initially, when there were only about a dozen or so cases in Vermont, they were posting daily updates on the state website that included background info for the newly reported cases for that particular day, and most seemed to be residents of the NY or Boston metro areas who were listed as self isolating at their second homes in Vermont. Many locals, myself included, were somewhat relieved when ski areas started shutting down about a week ahead of the state mandated shutdowns because it would keep at least some outsiders away despite the fact that they are the backbone of the state’s economy this time of year.
Also Mama Zappa, FYI, new 14 day quarantines were imposed today on most out of state visitors to VT:
I’d heard something to that effect. They’re even going around to hotels to ensure they are complying with out of state visitors etc.
I told my daughter today that it’s really lucky I didn’t go up there as I’d have been stuck with her for a long time. What I did not say at the time was “and they probably wouldn’t count the death(s) as COVID-related” (since I’m sure one of us would have killed the other).
The out-of-towners will be shopping at (and coughing in) the same grocery store she shops in. And if she gets sick, we have no way to help her.
Washington Post has an article about kids who are refusing to isolate.. The mother of the featured family is immunocompromised and the kid still goes out and hangs. ARGH.
There is a simple solution. Tell him what will happen next time he does that: his ass will be locked out. And do it.
The other parents mentioned in that article are morons, also. They, along with their children, are why these stay at home orders will not work as well as they could.
If somebody wants to stop at a bar and have ten drinks and then drive home afterwards, do you think that’s also an acceptable way to blow off some steam?
Personally, I feel your right to be stupid ends when your stupidity is endangering the lives of other people.
I do have to wonder if the attitudes of the kids at Spring Break are any different than those at Mardi Gras, a week or so earlier. Mardi Gras is attended by people 10-40 years older than those of spring break, but otherwise rather similar. What we knew about CoVid-19 didn’t really change much during that time, particularly if you weren’t glued to the news at that time (that is, were partying). But, we don’t hear about the horrible people attending Mardi Gras.
I suspect the explosion of cases in Louisiana is a direct result of Mardi Gras.
This parent did just that. The stupid kid went to Spring Break against his father’s advice. He had some trouble getting a flight home, and when he got there he was locked out. His dad put a bag of groceries in his car.
Kid went back to his college town, where he still has an off campus apartment, His dada doesn’t know what he’ll do when his lease is up - and it doesn’t sound like he cares.
I’m sorry, I don’t understand the parents who have their kids’ footprints all over their backs.
I’m not some naive “know-it-all,” either. I’ve raised two kids through those impossible years.
I made sure they understood who had the final say-so in all circumstances. Many times, I told the kids that I paid to put the roof over their heads, I paid for the utilities that provided them with hot showers, and my money filled the refrigerator. If they didn’t like the way I ran the show, they knew where the front door was located.
Monty, upthread, said “lock the kid out.” Damn straight! After scrambling around for a few days trying to find a place to sleep and mooching food, the kid will probably come crawling back home.
At which time, the kid should be given a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a blanket, and be told to sleep in the garage for two weeks.
I’d say something like, “I accept your right to make your own decisions. I also accept my right not to die. This virus KILLS people, and you have probably been exposed. We’ll find out in two weeks. Send me a text if you need more peanut butter.”
The idiot kid who built the “fort?” I’d say, “I hope it doesn’t leak. Here’s your bread and peanut butter.”
~VOW