Strollerderby : police

Three Year Old Left On School Bus

Brett Singer — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

A three-year-old boy in Milwaukee was left on his school bus for two and a half hours.

When his son didn't arrive home at 3:30 as he usually does, his dad called the Northcott Head Start school. There was no answer, so he went to the school to check things out. He saw someone washing a bus, kept walking. He walked by another bus, and heard crying. It was his son. He got him out through a "half-opened passenger window."

OK, I'm upset now. Imagine how the father must feel.

The headline at TMJ4 Milwaukee's web site says "Another Child Left on Bus" which is even more depressing. How many times does this have to happen before someone starts paying more attention? Sorry to be so high and mighty but stories like this tap into very basic parental fears, at least for me. We give a lot of people that we really don't know all that well a lot of responsibility when it comes to our kids.

This happened to a friend of mine when I was too young to remember. We were coming home from day camp and they just left my friend there. I made it home. My mother was not pleased.

Something similar happened when I was a bit older; this one I recall pretty well. The bus company, which I think was called Elmsford (this was quite some time ago, so if there is a company called that today, this is not a reflection on them), sent out a driver who didn't know where any of us lived. After dropping one or two of the kids off, he just started driving around the Bronx, lost. This was before cell phones, and for some reason Mr. Dopey Driver didn't pull over and call the office. I remember giving him directions, which were very wrong; I think I was six years old, and was saying things like "I think I live near here. It looks familiar. Yeah! Turn there. That's... no, that's not it. Let's see..." Eventually he pulled over, knocked on the door of someone he didn't know, and called the bus company, who called our parents to come and get us. Luckily he knocked on the door of a nice old lady who fed us all cookies. I remember not being all that scared, but I'm sure my mother was less than thrilled.

Anyway, the boy was fine, according to the report. The bus driver may face charges of child neglect, and the incident is being investigated by the "Sensitive Crimes Division", which is a great name for a law enforcement group. (Next on NBC -- "Law & Order: SCD, Sensitive Crimes Division.") Hopefully everyone will be more careful from now.

Source: todaystmj4.com

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Dad Drives Drunk With Kids In Car

Brett Singer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Jason Ryan Damos of Portland, Oregon went for a drive. Drunk. With his kids in the back seat. A police chase ensued, and eventually Damos was caught. And arrested. Charges were "reckless endangerment, hit and run, felony elude and drunken driving." ("Felony elude" is a new term to me. It has a nice ring to it.)

After being involved in a hit and run accident, Damos kept on driving, possibly hitting other cars; full details were not in the KATU report. The main thing is that he had his two children, ages 3 and 4, in the back seat while he did his version of "The Dukes of Hazzard."

How drunk was he? According to one of the arresting officers, he was "beyond intoxicated." That phrase isn't as new to me as "felony elude," but it is very descriptive.

The mother of the two children was there to take the kids after police got Damos by "getting him to spin out, in what is called a 'pit maneuver.'" Dramatic stuff. Luckily the kids are OK.

Source: KATU

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Boy Calls 911 When Mom Drives Drunk

Brett Singer — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:30:00 GMT

File this under "I may not be perfect but I'm a better parent than this lady."

36-year-old Belinda Leighton of Boca Raton, Florida was arrested this week and charged with driving drunk. With her kids, ages 9 and 13, in the car.

After spending "the morning drinking wine and beer", Leighton got in her car with children in tow. She told the kids that she had "had it" (it's not clear if she'd "had it" with them or just in general) and "was going to kill them and herself by crashing the car." One of the children called 911 from the back seat; Leighton was arrested at a friend's house.

According to WPBF News, Leighton asked that the deputies "take her children and put them in foster care." I give her credit for that, at least. Hopefully that's an indication that she knows she has a problem and will get help.

Big props to the kid who called 911 as well. It would be enough to just get out of that situation physically unharmed (emotionally is another story). But to have the presence of mind to call the police? I'm impressed. (I know, looking for a positive here, but can you blame me?)

Source: WPBF

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Dad Finds Kidnapped Kids in a Week, Cops Tried for Six Months

JeanneSager — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:50:00 GMT

I've got a hearty respect for the boys (and women) in blue. With two state troopers in my family, you don't hear me saying a whole lot against the cops.

But to the police who spent six months searching for two boys kidnapped by their mother . . . only to be shown up by dad, who found them in a week, I've got to ask: what were you doing all this time?

The boys, ten and eleven, went missing from their Australia home when their mom, a Swedish citizen, grabbed them and ran in October. Suspected to have returned to her native Sweden, the mom became wanted there, and police started searching for the boys.

But after six months of waiting in Australia for word, Dad decided he'd had enough. He hopped a plane from Melbourne, rented a car and parked it outside the home of the boy's grandparents - the parents of their mother. He says now he had a hunch they were harboring the fugitive mother. Let's hear it for dads' intuition!

He was right. After a week of staking out the place, he snuck up to the door late one night only to hear the voices of his sons inside. He called the cops, who raided the house and came up with the fugitive mother and the missing boys. Mom is now in custody, and the boys are back with dad.

It's got a happy ending, but isn't this kind of obvious? When someone goes missing, don't you check with their parents first? I don' tknow about you, but I'd like to think my kid would come to me first if she were in trouble!

Image: TheSimpsons

Dad Accused of Selling Daughter For Beer and Meat

Brett Singer — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So here's one you haven't heard before. At least I hope not. Because it's a bummer.

California resident Marcelino de Jesus Martinez was charged with selling his 14-year-old daughter in for, and I quote, "$16,000, beer and meat." He first pled not guilty, but that plea was switched to no contest, meaning that he will be sentenced on May 7. The penalty is deportation and up to a year in jail. Had he been found guilty of the initial charges, he could have spent ten years in jail.

Martinez reportedly "sold" his daughter to the family of Margarito de Jesus Galindo, and she lived with them for a week. The plan was marriage, the cash, beer and meat were the dowry. When Martinez didn't get his cash (it's not clear if he ever got the beer or the meat), he called the cops, who presumably were somewhat less than sympathetic.

The last part creates an interesting question explored at this USA Today blog entry. Apparently this practice is not uncommon in indigenous Mexican communities. For this reason, police dropped an initial charge of human trafficking. The Californian quotes Honorary Mexican Consul Blanca Zarazua as saying that "This whole case is a convergence of multiple layers of misunderstandings."

So I think I'll take back my opening paragraph. For some people, the only weird part of the story is the involvement of the police.

In general I'm pro-cultural sensitivity, but in this case, it's trickier. On the one hand, selling your daughter into marriage is something we clearly frown upon in this country. On the other hand, the father clearly had no idea that what he was doing was illegal, as shown by the fact that he went to the police in order to get paid.

What do you think? Should people who live in the United States be bound by our laws? Or can we make exceptions?

Source: AP via Google

Image: The Californian

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Casey Anthony Obsessed with Skull Images after Caylee’s Disappearance

Cole Gamble — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

In the time after Caylee Anthony disappeared, her mom, Casey, began collecting photos of skulls and sketches of skeletons kissing. This discovery comes after the Orange County Sheriff's Office released about 1,100 pages of interview reports and photos this week.

Caylee Anthony, who disappeared in early June, was not reported missing until a month after she vanished. Police records show the images of skulls and skeletons were posted to Casey Anthony's online photo account on June 26. The reason for Anthony's interest in the images is still not clear.

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Boy Finds Spider Monkey in Backyard - Video

Brett Singer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Living in Manhattan, we don't get a lot of wild animals. Then again, I doubt most "country" dwellers expect to see an overweight spider monkey in their backyard.

Yes. A spider monkey. In East Ridge, Tennessee.

Here's a video report:

According to local station News Channel 9, the monkey's name is Clyde, and the owners "say they bought him from a flea market" 25 years ago. In addition to being overweight -- Clyde has a fondness for Lil' Debbie cakes and Italian food -- "they say he's getting old, and has cataracts."

In other words, Clyde is somebody's pet. Pet spider monkey.

How much would you freak if you saw Clyde in your backyard? How about if you were four years old?

Source: newschannel9.com
Image: necn.com

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AUDIO - OctoMom 911 Calls Released

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:02:00 GMT

We already know that Nadya Suleman called 911 when she couldn't find one of her kids. Now we can hear it.

"Help me! My son is missing! I'm going crazy! Where's my son? Where's my son?"

(Visit TMZ to hear the call, or listen to it below.)

It's sad to listen to. Bizarrely fascinating but sad. Most parents will relate to the first call somewhat -- Nadya thinks her five-year-old is missing. The thing is, she loses it completely, saying, "Oh my God, I'm going to kill myself." She is then admonished by the 911 operator to not say something like that in front of her children. "Keep yourself under control." When the kid comes back, says "mommy," it's heartbreaking.

This woman is a mess.

Then comes the second call. One of Nadya's kids calls 911 and hangs up. The 911 operator calls back, talks to the kid, who claims to be in charge of the home, eventually admitting that a babysitter is there. That part is kind of funny. The operator really earns her keep by getting an adult on the phone who says everything is OK.

The common thread between the two calls is chaos. I'm not a fan of chaos. With kids, it happens. With six kids, it probably happens a lot. With fourteen? Do I need to say it?

Forget "reality show." Actual reality has crept into this story.

A commenter over on MomLogic has a theory that I wish I could say I don't take any stock in but it's hard not to at this point: "The movie 'The Changeling' in which Angelina Jolie has scenes where she is frantically beseeching to get her lost son back opened on October 24. Trailers for the movie must have been all over the networks for days. This 911 call came in on Oct 27. Total coincidence, I am sure."

Oy. Vey.

Source: TMZ

Image: Me and Photoshop

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Kid Cons Cops and Winds Up On Patrol

JeanneSager — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:06:00 GMT

I was waiting for the punchline in this, but I never found it.

A man walked into a police station and told the cops he had been sent over from another sector of the city. Except the guy the Chicago PD sent out on patrol for an afternoon shift with another officer wasn't a man at all; he was a fourteen-year-old wearing department-issue trousers and a shirt and hat.

The boy kept up the farce throughout the entire patrol; his "partner" never catching on. Now he's been charged with impersonating a police officer.

So he should be punished, I get that. But when one of the nation's biggest police departments suffers this kind of security lapse, shouldn't the brunt of the disciplinary action fall on the adults who screwed the proverbial pooch?

We're talking department-issue clothing that somehow got out on the street and into this kids' hands. We're talking about a civilian, and an under-age one to boot, spending an entire shift in a patrol car exerting his "authority" over the people of the City of Chicago; and the first one brought up on charges is the kid?

I'm sure eventually we'll hear that some heads have begun to roll, but a part of me wonders why it's always the kids in these situations who are dealt the harshest penalties? Yes, discipline them, but do we have to make them the scapegoats when we adults are the real boneheads?

Image: Reuters via Times Online

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Beware the Baby Narc!

SunnyChanel — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Kids like to play with phones. They beep, they buzz, and they can keep a little one busy and amused. But one Dad found this simple and usually innocent pasttime far from amusing. Because the random dialing of this 11-month-old boy landed daddy in jail.

According to CBC News.com, in British Columbia, Canada, the police responded to a 911 call in which the dialer had immediately hung up. The cops knocked on the door of the source of the call several time. Thinking there could be an emergency inside, they forced entry into the home. At home was the infant and his 29-year-old father who was surprised to see the police. He told them he hadn’t made the call. The authorities suggested that a child had, with the dad responding that his son was far too young to have done that. Then they spotted the child with the phone in hand pressing buttons willy nilly.

With the source of the call discovered, the police opted to just have a look around and found something that Dad really didn’t want them to find. A 500 plant Marijuana growing operation. Opps. Needless to say, the Dad was arrested and I’m sure the infant is heralded the area’s youngest crime fighter.

Source

photo: supesrtock

Babble Talk: Keep That Kid Away From The Police

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

In general when our kids say something inappropriate, they don't mean to. That is, they just mix up a word or two.

Of course, there are mix ups and there are mix ups. Like this one:

Calls popcorn "Cop porn" – Rylee (3)

This isn't likely to be a problem. Unless you are at the movies and there is an officer of the law nearby. "Hey, Dad, thanks for the Cop Porn!" Could be a little problematic.

Read more stuff from kids that could get you arrested right here. You can also submit your own bombastic baby babble.

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School Has Autistic Child Arrested

JeanneSager — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:08:00 GMT

Charges of battery against an eight-year-old with Asperger's syndrome have been dropped, and her parents are now pursuing legal action against the Idaho school district that called law enforcement.

What's wrong with this picture?

Evelyn Towry was told she couldn't wear her special jacket in class last week, prompting the little girl (whose diagnosis of Asperger's falls on the autism spectrum) to become resistent and act out in the classroom. But instead of telling the child she could just wear her jacket, school officials said they called the cops, alleging she assaulted school staff during the incident.

She's eight. And autistic.

Shouldn't school officials, of all people, understand that?

While Asperger's syndrome falls on the milder end of the autism spectrum, its symptoms are akin to what many people identify with autism - a need for structure, difficulty identifying and expressing feelings. It's also classified as a disability, allowing children who have been diagnosed to qualify for special services from their local school district, including special consideration for their special needs.

So why should a jacket on a child with Asperger's syndrome become an issue? Even if this child were to have become violent, the details of the case would indicate that school officials set this child - who they knew had a difficulty expressing feelings - off. They caused the problem. That would seem a direct violation of civil rights section 504, which protects kids in schools from discrimination for their developmental disabilities.

Should autistic child bear some responsibility for their actions? By calling the cops and pressing battery charges, that's what the school district was suggesting - that Evelyn Towry was responsible for battery. But who's to blame? Should a school district be held liable for the action that caused the equal and opposite reaction?

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Pregnant Woman Arrested For Fighting At Chuck E. Cheese

Brett Singer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township Pennsylvania was the scene of a violent altercation last week between five women and a minor, all of whom were arrested. One of the women involved was pregnant. A video of the fight was posted to YouTube but has been removed.

WGAL says that this is the 12th time this particular Chuck E. Cheese has had to call the police to calm everybody down.

Growing up in New York City, we didn't have Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't miss it because, well, the pizza sucks. But clearly those places are dangerous.

PennLive.com says that the incident continues what "police describe as a disturbing and bizarre crime trend: escalating violence among adults at a place designed for children's birthday parties."

Twelve calls to police in one year does seem like a lot. But I don’t know if I'd call it a "trend", since all of those problems were at the same place. The Susquehanna Cheesery has hired a police officer to be on site every Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully that will get the adults to behave themselves.

I've seen bad parental behavior, but nothing quite like what these articles describe. Anyone seen grown-ups behaving badly at kiddie establishments recently? Is this a trend?

Source: WGAL, WGAL again, and PennLive.com

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SunnyChanel — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This story begs the question does this Indiana family have an embroidered pillow on their couch that reads “the family that drinks together, stays together”? If not, can we all pitch in and get them one?

According to the AP, the state police arrested a 24-year old woman for drunk driving. Sadly, her 1-year-old son was in the car. The officers called the boy’s father to come pick him up. When the dad arrived, they realized he was also drunk and arrested him on drunk driving charges. They then contacted the boy’s grandparents to take him home. Once Grandma and Grandpa got to the station they found the grandparents to also be wasted. Fortunately the grandmother wasn’t over the legal limit and the police escorted them and the boy back home. I think it’s time to hide the Schnapps and the keys.

Eight-Year-Old Charged with Murdering His Father

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:59:00 GMT

An eight-year-old Arizona boy is facing two counts of premeditated murder for the deaths of his father and his father’s friend. Police are investigating whether abuse played a role in the murders, even as they continue with plans to prosecute the child.

Soon after 29-year-old Vincent Romero and 39-year-old Timothy Romans, who was renting a room at the Romero house (pictured), were fatally shot, the boy went to a neighbor’s house and said that he believed his father was dead. Police immediately arrived on the scene, and claim to have gotten a confession from the child. But the boy’s lawyer is charging that officers questioned him too severely without the benefit of a parent or representative at his side. (The boy’s father had full custody, with the mother visiting from out-of-state on the weekends.)

"They became very accusing early on in the interview," attorney Benjamin Brewer said. "Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an 8-year-old kid."

Although the boy’s home was unknown to Child Protective Services, police had responded to domestic violence calls there in the past. The judge has ordered a psychological evaluation.

Under Arizona law, children as young as eight can be charged with crimes. Even though the town’s police chief understands that an eight-year-old does not “just decide that he’s going to shoot his father and shoot his father’s friend for no reason,” police are pushing to have the boy tried as an adult.

To me, the fact that the boy immediately alerted neighbors of the deaths indicates that he lacked the moral reasoning necessary to understand the emotional complexity and consequences of his acts. No one, no matter how young, should be excused for committing murder, but I will be heartbroken if this boy, well before his mental capacities are fully formed, faces murder charges as an adult.

As a defense attorney uninvolved in the case commented, “[S]ociety has to make a decision as to whether they want to start using the criminal justice system to deal with 8-year-olds. That doesn't mean you don't have a troubled kid."

Photo: AP

Halloween Not So Festive For Sex Offenders

Kelly Mills — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:35:00 GMT

Most of the year we say, "Hey kids, don't take candy from strangers." The exception of course is Halloween, when we have kids actually solicit for candy, and 'aw yeah' for that. Some states are taking measures to prevent registered violent and child sex offenders from participating in the holiday, a thought that made my fears of pumpkin smashing seem a little more trivial.

In Maryland, 1,200 sex offenders received a letter instructing them to stay at home, turn off the porch lights, and not answer the door. They also received a sign with a scared-looking pumpkin on it, that reads "No candy at this residence". The letter begins, "Halloween provides a rare opportunity for you to demonstrate to your neighbors that you are making a sincere effort to change the direction of your life." And as part of that effort, I think your house is gonna get egged this year.

Other states are adopting similar measures, and in Missouri, four offenders and the ACLU are challenging it. Louisiana has banned sex offenders from wearing masks on Halloween and during carnival season. Are the rules a violation of civil liberties, or a necessary measure? Will they effectively protect kids? You tell me.

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Brett Singer — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

The punchline? Her daughter, and the ex-boyfriend, are 13 years old.

This is all in "alleged" territory right now, but the basics are wacky: Police in Elgin, Illinois "are investigating whether a local woman used nude photos of her daughter's 13-year-old ex-boyfriend as blackmail to get the two back together." The mother and daughter live in Sleepy Hollow, Illinois. The Headless Horseman has not been charged.

The photos were on her daughter's cell phone, since the kids had been sending nude pics to each other. That's wacky enough but I guess not that uncommon these days. (By the time my kids get to be that age, thirteen year olds won't be doing that anymore, right? RIGHT? Hello, anybody there?) After the kids broke up, the girls' mother found the photos, and allegedly sent "hundreds of threatening e-mails and text messages" to her ex, saying that if they didn't start dating again, she – the mother – would post the pictures online.

Can you say, "much too involved in your daughter's life"? I knew you could.

Adding to the weirdness, the mother could potentially face the following charges: "intimidation, harassment…[and] possessing child pornography." It's that last one that makes me go "whoah." But, if you think about it, it's true, right? Hard to get your head around, but technically true since the boy is underage. The kids won't be charged.

Source: 9news
image: here

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Palin's Town Charged Women for Rape Kits

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:15:00 GMT

You may have heard that the police department of Wasilla, Alaska--currently the littlest big town in the world--charged rape victims for forensic exams while Sarah Palin was mayor. This is a bit like asking the bereaved for hundreds of dollars before taking fingerprints at the scene of a murder.

Now CNN has covered the story, including interviewing the man who sponsored a bill to end the practice. He says, "This [the bill outlawing charging for rape kits] was something that just about everyone agreed on--except Wasilla." The McCain campaign maintains that Palin knew nothing about her town's administration of rape kits. (McCain, however, made his stance on rape kits perfectly clear when he voted against national legislation--introduced by Joe Biden--that would have made charging for sexual assault exams illegal.) This legislator says he finds it very hard to believe that the police chief of a small town waged a campaign against a piece of statewide legislation without the mayor's knowledge. I would add that, if Palin didn't know about the rape kit controversy, perhaps she was slacking on her duties as mayor a wee bit.

But I'm giving away all the good parts. Watch for yourself on Huffington Post.

Photo: pinkandchocolatebrown.blogspot.com

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Arkansas Evangelist's compound raided, six children removed

Brett Singer — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Arkansas police raided Tony Alamo Christian Ministries on Saturday. The church, located near Texarkana, was raided because of suspicions that children are being abused there. The raid was part of a child pornography investigation. The six children are currently, "in the custody of the state Department of Human Services," according to CNN.

Tony Alamo (that name!) is denying any shenanigans. "It's a hoax…They're just trying to make our church look evil ... by saying…that I rape little children. ... I love children. I don't abuse them. Never have. Never will." Then he compared himself to Jesus Christ, saying that, "Jesus is living within me." Yeah, that's what I used to tell people. Then the doctors switched my meds and I'm much better now.

I do wonder why the only way to find out what's going on in these places is to do a huge dramatic raid. CNN reports that, "About 100 agents raided the 15-acre site on Saturday and met with no resistance." Did they really need that many officers of the law to take six children into custody? Of course, if they had found armed guards, I guess that would be a different story. Whatever the facts turn out to be, I hope the kids are OK, or as OK as a kid could be after this sort of experience.

Image/source: CNN

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Elderly Man Resues Abandoned Baby

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:00:00 GMT

An 81-year-old man from a quiet Boston suburb stepped out to pick up the mail yesterday and was surprised to find a tote bag sitting on his doorstep. He was even more surprised by the contents of the bag: a newborn baby girl, sleeping peacefully. After John Tuckerman put his hand to the infant’s cheek and she stirred, he hurriedly called 911.

The baby was rushed to the hospital and is in excellent health. She had been cleaned and dried before she was abandoned, although her umbilical cord was still intact. Whoever abandoned her also left a pillow, a blanket, and a note asking that the baby be well cared for.

Newton police are trying to find the baby’s parents and hope that anyone with information about the newborn will come forward. This seems unlikely to me, however, since the parents could potentially face child abuse charges if they were identified.

Some are arguing that this case underscores the need to publicize Massachusetts’ Baby Safe Haven Law, which makes it legal to abandon an infant who is seven days old or younger at a police station, a firehouse, or a hospital. The parents or mother who abandoned this baby girl clearly cared about her welfare. It’s likely that they would have left her at one of these “safe havens” had they known about the law.

Fortunately, in this case the baby is unharmed and will go to a loving home.

Dad arrested for leaving son at McDonald's

Brett Singer — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

See if you can follow this: Dave Lieber, a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, got into an argument with his 11 year old son over breakfast at McDonald's (perhaps the boy ate his McGriddle?). Lieber got so angry with the boy that he drove away, leaving him in the parking lot, which was "a few blocks" from their home. He then thought better of it and came back to pick him up a few minutes later, only to find that the police had been called. No charges were filed, and Lieber wrote about the incident in his August 15th column. He acknowledged that he had "made a stupid and quite serious mistake…I could have exposed my son to grave danger. I do know that. But in the moment of anger, I didn’t think clearly." He called The Parenting Center in Fort Worth, a nonprofit that offers counseling to local families. They gave him some good advice in case this situation ever happens again, like "don't take it personally when fighting with your child," that sort of thing.

HOWEVER, two weeks later, after "additional investigation", he was arrested on charges of "child abandonment with intent to return and child abandonment/endangering a child." Lieber is free on relatively modest $4,000 bail, but is still charged with two felonies.

There's an interesting line in his August 15th column: "back in the 1960s, if my parents had told me to 'walk home by yourself' when I misbehaved, no one would have thought twice…But what flew years ago doesn’t fly today."

I can't imagine doing something like this, and only partly because we don't eat at McDonald's. The felony charges seem extreme, however. When I was 11, I could walk to the store to buy comic books (and other things), and I lived in the Bronx. Isn't this the same thing? Or should intent –Lieber left his son in the parking lot out of anger – be a factor? Has anyone out there ever had an experience like this?

(Note: the image is from Dave Lieber's website, YankeeCowboy.com. That's a picture of him.)

Sources: Statesman.com, Star-Telegram

Read more:

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Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

More Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

What about his taste in women?

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Family Movie Night – Hairspray

Should You Intervene When Strangers Hit Their Kids?

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:00:00 GMT

The other day while walking in the park, I passed by a disturbing scene. An enraged mother was marching after her daughter, shouting, “You are going to get hit! You are going to get hit!” Her daughter looked about three years-old, and she was bawling. After trying in vain to run away from her mother, the little girl covered her head with her hands as her mother caught up to her and made good on her threat.

The mother’s anger was so violent that, as I walked away from this sad scene, even I felt a little frightened. I could only imagine how the woman's rage had affected her young daughter. As I walked home, I felt completely helpless. I wondered if I had done the right thing to simply walk away. How else, I asked myself, could I have responded? I felt pretty certain that alerting one of the park's police officers wouldn’t have helped; most likely the only outcome would have been to make both the mother and her daughter feel even more freaked out. And telling the mother not to hit her child would have only increased her rage—who was I to tell her how to raise her children?

I thought of a story my mom had told me recently about a friend of hers. While walking in a supermarket, a man had seen a mother forcefully hit her small child, who kept reaching out for food items from her seat in the grocery cart. The man gently approached the mother, and made a sympathetic comment to the effect of, “I know how hard it can be with young children. It feels like they just won’t listen.” As the man spoke about his own difficulties with parenting, the mother started crying. “I know I shouldn’t hit her,” she said, “and I try not to. But it's so hard.” They spoke for a long time about other ways to discipline children. The mother was at her wit’s end, and really needed someone to simply ask if she was okay.

I hope the next time I encounter a child being mistreated, I am brave enough to try out this method of honest engagement. Has anyone ever tried confronting an enraged parent in this, or any other, way?

Photo: Spiritual Reseach Foundation

Sad footnote to sad story

Brett Singer — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:30:00 GMT

31-year-old Timothy O'Connor was speeding past the funeral procession for firefighter Martin Simmons (pictured). When pulled over, he told police that he was trying to get to the front because the funeral was for his grandfather.

When police informed him whom the procession was for, he admitted to lying through his speeding teeth. What was the reason for the lame excuse? Well, the Racer X wanna-be was driving with a suspended license. But hey, first offense, right? Nope. He's had his license suspended 22 times.

Apparently he was speeding, "driving erratically and changing lanes without signaling."

I'm no legal expert but how exactly can you have your license suspended that many times and still be allowed to drive? Driving shouldn't be something that you are just allowed to do no matter what. Isn't that the point of having licenses in the first place? What does it take to get your license suspended, like, forever? What if he had hit another car – like the one carrying Martin Simmons' family?

At least Speedy admitted he was full of it when he found out whose funeral it was. Still, what a jerk.

Source: Newsday (and thanks to Brian for the tip)

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14 Lies Parents Need to Stop Telling Their Kids (Part 1)

Cole Gamble — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

You have the eat vegetables because big kids eat their vegetables.

If you've ever told your kid they couldn't leave the table until they finish their carrots while you ate ice cream straight from the carton, don't worry. You are not a hypocrite; you're just every other mom or dad in the world.

You are the prettiest girl/most handsome boy in the world

Can't be true. The law of averages makes it mathematically impossible. Are they very handsome and pretty? Sure, why not. But yours can't be the most handsome or pretty. Mine are.

Go to bed or I'll call the police

No wonder kids grow up to become adults with big problems with authority. Personally I never had the cops take me away as a kid (because I went to bed). But when it came time for me to call the cops on my kids, guess what? They didn’t come. CPS did though.

The cat “ran away”

No cat ever runs away, unless you mean running away to kitty heaven. This is a lie you can almost justify in your head because it sounds so close to the truth. “Ran away”…“ran over,” almost the same thing.

Santa, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy

The big three. The Legion of Doom. Yes, these on the face are sweet pillars of youth and magic, but take a moment to examine what you are really telling your child when you pass on their legends:

Santa

Breaks into your house, eats all your food and maybe leaves you some tainted toys from China. And that's if he deems you as “good.” If not he leaves you coal (which with today's fuel prices might not be the worst gift). And how does he know whether you are good or not? He's been watching you. He's always got his eyes on you. You know who else watches you all the time and decides whether you are good or not? Buffalo Bill. If you get a stocking full of skin lotion, I’d move.

Easter Bunny

So there is this bunny. No, not a normal sized bunny. A seven foot tall bunny. A bunny who could dunk on Shaq. Anyway, this is an anthropomorphized bunny. He can talk and stuff, although all he wants to talk about is marshmallow. Not that you'll be able to pay attention to what he's saying, you'll be fixated on those six inch incisors and asking yourself, “what exactly does a giant bunny you have to do with this holiday?”

Tooth Fairy

Oh how these three love breaking and entering. This time a tweaked-out lady wants your teeth. Why does she want your teeth? What is she doing with all those teeth? Making human jewelry? Here's another thing to consider, what happens if TF shows up to a kid's house to find there is no tooth and she made a mistake? She doesn't just toddle off. This lady has gotten a jonesin' for teeth and she needs a fix. That's why she carries around a set of brass knuckles. Sweet dreams, kids.

Click here for part 2

More by this author: The 26 Most Disturbing Kids Movies Ever

Baby Cages: The 5 Baby Products that Should be Illegal

5 Ways to Not Go Broke (with Kids)

Invisible Fence for Your Child

7 Ways to Make Your Baby to Sleep Tonight

The Great Lemonade Stand Robbery

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:30:00 GMT

So, like, taking candy from a baby. That's generally considered a bad thing, right?

How about stealing from a lemonade stand? Steven Tryon from Terre Haute, Indiana, did just that.

The perp was chased into a nearby house where police spent 45 minutes trying to coax him outside. They did, and he will be forced to drink 10 gallons and lemonade and then be denied access to the men's room. OK, I just made that up. But it seems like an appropriate punishment, yes?

I had other jokey potential punishments in mind – being forced to change his name to Bob Q. Buttcheeks, etc. – but then I read that this is an 18-year-old who is being charged with felony robbery. So I kind of feel bad about it. Maybe he's really poor, or just screwed up in the head somehow. Of course, it's also possible that he's just a big jerk who thinks swiping $17.50 from two little kids at a lemonade stand is an okay thing to do.

Here's a video report, including a perp walk.

images and video: Wane.com

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Sad footnote to sad story

14 Lies Parents Need to Stop Telling Their Kids (Part 1)

The Great Lemonade Stand Robbery

Political Nanny: Obama Intent on Enslaving the White Race (it's not related but what a great headline)