Just read this in Mail Call this morning...

"I see in Wednesday's paper that a number of students were involved in a senior prank and then turned themselves in, and the students who were involved are now going to be expelled. My child was involved in a senior prank quite a few years ago and turned himself in, and was also punished. The moral here is, if you participate in a senior prank, don't turn yourself in, because there is no reason to. Let them prove you're guilty." - Smithsburg"

Really gives you an idea of how some parents feel about kids doing what is right and teaching them the right way to live
OK, yes it was a senior prank.... and YES it was against the law.... and YES the kids should make restitution and be punished...
It got out of hand on both sides of the issue....
But to tell you kids not to admit to doing something they know was wrong.... Let the system prove you guilty....
Do you really want to see kids raised this way.... Is it any wonder some kids act like they do when raised with the attitude that you can do what you like, just don't admit and let them prove it...

Another example:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24009077/


The 16-year-old victim suffered a concussion, and has hearing loss in her left ear and some loss of vision in her left eye, Judd said.

Mother of one of the girls charged states the any punishment is over reaction. The girl should not have put mean things on MySpace if she could not back up her words.

what does this have to do with griz's thread? just askin.

Just another example of poor parenting...I guess.

Or back up for the "Writing a check with your mouth that your ass can't cash" theory.

Sorry maybe I was off base here but I thought the title of the thread is, "Teach Your Children Well.........., Apparently not all parents...."

I took that to mean examples of all bad parenting. Maybe I am a little confused, if the thread is only to talk about the prank, we already have a thread discussing that issue.

So this thread is about poor or lousy parents and their resultant ill-mannered entitlement no punishment children who will grow up to be a boil on the citizenry of our beloved country???

Um, fessing up and being honest is all well and good when dealing privately with people.

But when it comes to Big Brother aka "the man", you have to remember that it's an adversarial system and if you don't plead the 5th and make them prove whatever they can without your help you are going to get scr*wed royally every time!


"The system" has no respect for people being forthright and open. They will hang you every time if you give them the means.

So as I see your argument .... teach your kids to lie, at the very least by omission
Sorry, ain't happening in my house.... my daughter is being taught not to lie and to accept what happens for her actions....

In the old days, if a kid's baseball went through the neighbor's window, they went and fessed up and had to pay for a new window. In some communities you can still handle it that way, but you'd better know your neighbor.

These days more often than not, before anyone can do a thing the neighbor calls the police and the kid is hauled away and fingerprinted.

Should the kid fess up? Probably, but is there a lesson about honesty and fair dealing to be learned? I dare say these days it's all about calling the cops and filing lawsuits, and you're better off teaching your kids to look out for themselves, because if they don't they'll be sorry.

Thank you Tx, in a joking way you said it all. A voice of reason. We can CLOSE the thread, you nailed it. Done.

We reap what we sew or ignore. Children can turn out with some issues, even with good parenting. But it is a sure thing when there is no parenting. Why stack the odds against your kid by dismissing active parenting and responsibility? Growing up is hard enough, kids need parents for guidance and examples of character. Parents need to take the high ground so the kids can find it. Whether in public or private, your actions will be seen or felt. If we never hold them to high expectations they wont try to set high expectations.....................We have said this all before. Sorry for the repetition.
Circular arguments never leave. They just tempt us to respond again on the same topic. I must learn to refrain.
Sorry, I have been boring of late.

I OTOH am in total agreeement with the Smithsburg parent cited. Charging the kids with a felony is overkill and instead of teaching them to be honest and encouraging coming forward, it teaches them that it's better to keep your mouth shut and make them prove everything.

The parent in that case is not saying that they espouse that approach: it's more along the lines of complaining that the overly-aggressive prosecution is sending that message to the kids.

As long as the authorities take an overly-agressive approach, the kids are going to plead the 5th, and I and any decent lawyer would agree that they should, if they're going to be charged with a felony.

Our senior prank (at the end of the year) was leaving a window unlocked in one of the classrooms and letting some pigeons loose in the school overnight. (This was in the 90s, long before schools here were real concerned with security.) We never turned ourselves in.

Hmm.........crows would make for a great prank, too..................................or maybe an emu!

see "chickens prank" i posted above.

two seniors got in their heads to do their own prank and put limburger cheese in the heating ducts of the school. It was rank! awful having to stay in the darn place while it's heating up!

South High has smelled like nasty sewage since they remodeled it around 2000. It's gross ><

I am all for kids having fun, its some of the parents that bug me. Party on, Spring Break is done, onto summer fun.
I did not turn myself in either. I had fun too.

My kids had a blast last year. We also did not wake up and find any of us on the wrong side of the law. Nor were we cheering others on.

Luck or choices, who knows. Everyone has their own priorities in life. To each his/her own. Party on.

Must you always be so mature, CH? You're starting to take the fun out of all our cool pranks!

Did anyone do anything in the way of a practical joke for April Fools day?

I got rickrolled on April Fools Day. Does that count? Somebody should go to jail the that lame internet gag.