Our little talk this morning....

I hope you know Sam, that I meant every word I said on the way to work this morning. 

To give some background....

I was listening to Eliot in the Morning on DC101 because my satellite radio wasn't getting a signal for awhile (solar storm?), and he told this story about this couple who was asleep and heard this construction like commotion coming from their neighbors-who-happened-to-be-in-laws house.  The guy goes over there and there are these four vandals just taking this place apart.  Spray painting obscenities, hammering sinks, causing eventually what would be calculated at about 40-50k worth of damage.  So the guy manages to get a hammer away from one of them and forces the four of them into the closet, being like I'm going to bash your f-ing skull in -  while they wait for the police who were called by the wife (who intelligently stayed her ass at home).  The police get there, the guy was like here you go and you're welcome.  THE DUDE THEN GETS ARRESTED.  Why?  Because the four little POS's were 8-10 years old.  Apparently theyre allowed to just bring the house down and all you can do is either call their parents or something while you wait.  So now this guy is facing jail time and those four little jerks are getting charged with "criminal mischief". 

First of all, thats WAY too cool sounding of a crime.  Second of all, its BS that this guy was arrested because he unlawfully "held" a minor.

Back to the 'conversation' I was having with my son -

I told him that if he ever, ever, EVER got himself into a mess like that (sans being held hostage and forced to do so), to choose the door with the man and the hammer because I promised that the door with me behind it would be much more scary.  I continued to advise that in such an event, he should beg for juvenile detention because my house was going to be soooooooo much worse.  I don't believe in child abuse.  I'm not really on board with corporeal punishment either, as I do think that there are many alternatives to that type of punishment that don't involve the conflicting lesson of not causing other people pain while causing them pain.  I do believe in creative punsihments though.  Ones that directly teach someone a lesson regarding the error that they have made.

As a parent, here's what I would have done:
- Picked my kid up from jail (oh I would have made the police take him to jail).
- Gotten some details about the type of damage that he specifically caused.
- Taken him to by flowers and an Im Sorry card that he would hand deliver to the owners of the residence that he thought was his.
- Take him to Home Depot and make him explain to every department clerk necessary what he needed to fix and tools did he need to fix it.
- Depending on what was allowed to be done, I'd take him right back to the house and make him fix what he could. 

To me, using every opportunity possible for education is a good thing.  There's no fear of physical harm from me, and Sam gets to pick up on some useful skills on how to fix things, and how his Saturdays are now dedicated to paying mom and dad back for the money they had to pay.  Thats a financial education too.

Sam - I love you, but if you ever think of pulling something like that....you should consider just how creative I can be.