Those two young boys are much better off being stopped by the police now before this becomes a lifelong habit. Ignoring it and hoping that a grounding would be sufficient is what would have sent them down the wrong path.
At what point would you report them? Would you wait until they smashed up your neighbor’s car? What about breaking into your house? What happens when they break into a place with someone heavily armed and get shot to death? It is better that they learn this isn’t a game now before they are staring down a lengthy prision sentence or the barrel of a shotgun.
Maybe it’s a whoosh, but the join date makes me think otherwise. Of course, the capitalization makes it look like some kind of secret message from NAMBLA. What the heck, it’s a slow afternoon, I’ll rise to the flamebait.
Why should the ‘snitches’ fear making enemies of the sweet and tender hooligans? What would such nice young boys do to their enemies? Throw flowers?
You really think 16 is a young boy? That’s old enough to drive, work, screw cheerleaders, and quit high school, legally, where I come from.
Would you trust the parents to punish them if the vandals came from poor families, instead of middle class?
This may come as a shock, but some of us prefer not to have any our money wasted.
It’s OK if I go over the deer/duck/fish limit, right? It’s not worth sending me down the wrong path over some critters that are already dead.
So, as you know, the cops asked my son to provide an email statement of facts: he did. The cops got back to my son, by email, thanking him for his duties, and to tell him that the culprits had been identified and caught.
The identified kids admitted to the crime and they, along with their parents, are responsible to repair all the damages. They have all agreed to this without any charges.
See, now doesn’t this work out perfectly all around? The kids got fingered by the police. No charges were laid. The parents pay for the damages. You can bet the kids don’t do this again. The courts don’t even accrue costs. Damn! Good use of public dollars. I’m proud all around.
Oh, and to boot, my son has responded by email to his police contact that he’s really interested in learning more about what they do, and can he come in to the station for a visit. (Stay tuned.)
I’m just awaiting the day he decides to grass someone else up, only they find out. When your kid returns home covered in cuts and bruises with a broken nose you are NOT getting any sympathy from me. Horrid little snitch!
Jeez, nearly 40 years of fighting ignorance and this post shows we still have a long battle before us.
Leaffan, you and your wife are doing a fine job of raising your son. You are justified to be proud of him. You and he are doing the right thing and I’m sure he’ll go far in life with the start you are giving him. He’s a fine, upstanding young citizen already.
Good job, Leaffan. Both on your son, and on not freaking out and forbidding him from being friends with the other kid. I do hope this is for the best for everybody involved.
Swirlface, I ask the same thing that’s already been asked. When do you think authorities should be involved? Many people will say that prettifying lab results is OK. Is it also OK when they’re going to be published? When they’re about how well a new medication works? When they are about how well the rubber that’s going to be used for tires? What if those tires end up in your car? If those kids had been breaking and entering someone’s house, should also the police not be involved?
There is a record by Estopa called ¿La calle es tuya?, “is the street yours?” They say that they saw a kid spraying a tag on a STOP sign (the picture on the cover) and an old man berate the kid. The kid answered “is the street yours?” and the old man said “yes. Mine, and yours, and your mother’s if you know her”. That community center is everybody’s house.
I’m glad you did the right thing, too. Maybe other kid will benefit from seeing how a mature and responsible adult handles a situation like this.
I’m reading the book Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz–it’s about the gang rape of a mentally challenged girl in a wealthy enclave (Glen Ridge) and the reaction of, “What a tragedy for these young boys” reminded me of the tone of people saying that calling the cops would be ruining these kids’ lives. Obviously vandalism isn’t rape, but the fact that people see holding someone accountable for their actions that way is interesting. Even if their lives aren’t ruined, the police (or those who call the police) aren’t the ones doing it. Those kids made that choice on their own.
And I’m just awaiting the day you get your head kicked in with no cops around and no one comes forward to help you because they don’t want to be a horrid little snitch. Have a fun crawl to the hospital…
I actually don’t wish that on anyone, but for fuck’s sake!!! Bad things happen to your society when good people don’t come forward.
Exactly. The MOSF is likely as clueless as you are in regards to /b/, swirlface, etc. It’s like a four-year old choosing my username (I’m twelve, thanks).
Why would I think that MOSF knows anything about that poster? What does /b/ mean? I have absolutely no idea what you are on about, and your cryptic references aren’t helping. Can you please try and explain in more simple terms?