Let's discuss....

[sully326]

What would J'15 do if this were your child and what do you think about the outcome of what happened to Mom?

bigstory.ap.org/article/975c284dc7fd4d6ba39b8b6decec66a5/police-georgia-woman-locked-son-out-missing-curfew

[bruunk]

OH interesting - I just watched a neighbor lock their really, really pissed off kid out of the house (we live in an apartment complex, and the apartments are studio lofts - so we're guessing that kid was done/having a tantrum and Dad didn't have another place to put him - but we're not sure) ANYWAY - this is a big topic in our house!!

Now - I have to admit, if I had a teenager (not sure I count 13 as a teenager for record) who was continually breaking their curfew, I can see the validity of saying "You've broken curfew X amount of times - here's a sleeping bag and you can sleep in the back yard and are allowed back in when someone wakes up and lets you in." And lets be honest, an hour later I'd let them in after watching via the window the whole time.

Do I think this mom did that? Nope! I think she went too far - kid didn't even have a blanket? Also, at 13, why is he being allowed back out after breaking his curfew once? Isn't that the first step - first time, warning, second time GROUNDED. I agree with @pcrunk, there is some lack of parent accountability.

[sully326]

Jun 3, 2015 17:58:37 GMT -5 bruunk said:

Now - I have to admit, if I had a teenager (not sure I count 13 as a teenager for record) who was continually breaking their curfew, I can see the validity of saying "You've broken curfew X amount of times - here's a sleeping bag and you can a in the back yard and are allowed back when someone wakes up and lets you in." And lets be honest, an hour later I'd let them in after watching via the window the whole time.

This is probably the route I would take too. Although with the kind of mom I am, I would hope my kid would never put me in this situation.

I get where this mom was coming from. She was pissed and fed up with her child not listening. BUT, I feel like leaving him out there all night and still not letting him in in the morning was just too much.

[ladymouse]

Overkill and overkill. First of all, at 13, he shouldn't have that much liberty if he has a habit of breaking the rules. Secondly, 13 is, in Augusta, most likely too young to be locking him out all night. I agree with previous posters - locking him out for a few hours and then letting him back in before you'd normally go to sleep MIGHT be OK depending on the locale (should have left the door unlocked at 11, in this case). If you have, say, a fenced yard/screened porch and seating in a quiet neighborhood, and it's a nice night, also maybe OK. So much is situational.

Arresting the mother is overkill, too, though. A warning would have been appropriate.

[billyhorrible]

I think there were better ways to handle the situation on her end.

I'm all for logical consequences, and theoretically this is a logical consequence, but at the same time, a bit extreme. Personally, I would have gone with the grounding instead - you can't follow the rules when going out? You don't get to go out.