Headlines

CNN

Video: Parents publicly shame girl with sign

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

What is the purpose here? Clearly she has not been taught the concept of shame, so it will have no useful effect.

OldEnglish on November 23, 2012 at 6:10 PM

My kids thought I was, ahem, a bit of an Army Sergeant. Think I’ll send them this to them show how good they had it.

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:10 PM

I predict that this will blow up on the parents.

davidk on November 23, 2012 at 6:12 PM

Yikes! 2nd try.

My kids thought I was, ahem, a bit of an Army Sergeant. Think I’ll send them this to show how good they had it.

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:14 PM

I don’t know, OldEnglish. Having raised two girls who are now lovely young women, I know that there are a lot of kids who sneak boyfriends or girlfriends into the house. I think this is only a viable option when mom and dad are more or less comatose. Being a light sleeper, my daughters would never have got away with this. Plus, their father (not a light sleeper) would have made their life most unpleasant. While I have sympathy for the mom in this case, I do not think this will work. I see it driving the wedge between her and daughter even deeper. They need to talk, talk, talk. I hope they will.

zeebeach on November 23, 2012 at 6:17 PM

Aren’t the parents basically advertising to teenage boys? You know, basically saying “Hey, boys, want an easy lay? Well check out our daugher”.

DethMetalCookieMonst on November 23, 2012 at 6:21 PM

The girl is 14 and her behavior would be wrong if she were 17. IMO she needs more permanent consequences than standing on a street saying I’m a slut. Better locks? Bars on windows? A chat with the the parents & boys who are having sex with a 14 year old?

katiejane on November 23, 2012 at 6:23 PM

Stepdad is one scary dude. Wonder if his contemptuous attitude has something to do with the girl’s acting out…

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:28 PM

And now, the whole community knows what a little tramp she is … Has she learned her lesson?

Pork-Chop on November 23, 2012 at 6:30 PM

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:28 PM

I suspected the same connection, but for a worse reason.

mrsknightley on November 23, 2012 at 6:41 PM

If all the community gleans from this episode is that she is “a little tramp”, then this fails on two levels. Do not assume, however, that she really is a tramp. Sounds like she is looking for attention (read love). Mom, take her out to lunch when you two are speaking civilly again. Share your own teenage angst and episodes. She is not at all unique in terms of her behavior. Find some common ground so you can share with her your hopes for her life. Do not make her an object of hate and loathing, please.

zeebeach on November 23, 2012 at 6:43 PM

I suspected the same connection, but for a worse reason.

mrsknightley on November 23, 2012 at 6:41 PM

Yeah. I shied away from that thought.

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:46 PM

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 6:28 PM

Interesting – my reaction was that prior to step-dad Mom may have been letting the girl run wild because it was too much trouble to actually discipline her.

katiejane on November 23, 2012 at 6:49 PM

If all the community gleans from this episode is that she is “a little tramp”, then this fails on two levels. Do not assume, however, that she really is a tramp. Sounds like she is looking for attention (read love). Mom, take her out to lunch when you two are speaking civilly again. Share your own teenage angst and episodes. She is not at all unique in terms of her behavior. Find some common ground so you can share with her your hopes for her life. Do not make her an object of hate and loathing, please.

zeebeach on November 23, 2012 at 6:43 PM

And, mom, when you’re alone with her in the car, put down the cell phone and talk with her.

davidk on November 23, 2012 at 6:51 PM

And, mom, when you’re alone with her in the car, put down the cell phone and talk with her.

davidk on November 23, 2012 at 6:51 PM

Oh, now you’ve gone too far!/

OldEnglish on November 23, 2012 at 6:59 PM

And, mom, when you’re alone with her in the car, put down the cell phone and talk with her.

davidk on November 23, 2012 at 6:51 PM

Great advice, davidk. Parents might be amazed at how kids open up in the car. Once they (both) put down the cellphones.

zeebeach on November 23, 2012 at 6:59 PM

Interesting – my reaction was that prior to step-dad Mom may have been letting the girl run wild because it was too much trouble to actually discipline her.

katiejane on November 23, 2012 at 6:49 PM

Might be a combination of the two (depending on how long the parents have been married)–Mom too permissive; Stepdad a d!ck–or worse, as katiejane posits. At any rate, my husband would be suffering severe frying pan injuries had he made a public mockery of our daughter like this.

Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 23, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Disgusting parents. Completely clueless.

jix on November 23, 2012 at 7:28 PM

Sheesh. It’s not like she was dating a Democrat.

Seth Halpern on November 23, 2012 at 8:10 PM

I had two stepdaughters. Their mother was incapable of disciplining them, and they ran wild. There was a very difficult transition to a home with actual rules.

The older daughter was too close to age 18 to do anything other than minimal compliance until she reached majority and moved in with her boyfriend and his parents. (I had kicked her boyfriend out of our home when her mother discovered them in flagrante delicto on the living room floor. The younger was problematic until she realized I meant what I said and unlike her mother I followed through. That included a hugely embarrassing (for her) truancy incident in which I involved the local police, tracked her down, and returned her to school.

When she realized that I would be consistent and fair, and that I actually cared about her, things improved dramatically. I had no further major problems with her. She followed house rules, checked in as required, and her grades even improved a bit. After her mother and I divorced, she and I remained on good terms.

I wouldn’t judge these people without knowing more.

novaculus on November 23, 2012 at 8:16 PM

Interesting – my reaction was that prior to step-dad Mom may have been letting the girl run wild because it was too much trouble to actually discipline her.

katiejane on November 23, 2012 at 6:49 PM

The mom says that her husband thought she was being too permissive.

GWB on November 23, 2012 at 8:23 PM

Millions of teens pull this type of crap and turn out alright. Perhaps the parents should stand out there with a sign asking for advice on how to deal with this effectively as a family without completely alienating their daughter.

For starters, cut off all allowance, mandatory dinner as a family at a regular time each night, Friday night family movie time, big Saturday breakfasts, and church every Sunday morning. Keep her in Saturday nights for the next few weeks, maybe Saturday night church as well if necessary. Oh, and FFS, the quickest and easiest:

No more closing the bedroom door (take that thing off its hinges if you must).

There are so many better options. BTW I do recognize families don’t always have this time open but it’s clear from this the grandparents are actively involved with the family so ask them for help. Sheeeet, they could have most of this crap turned around in 18 months.

WeekendAtBernankes on November 23, 2012 at 8:24 PM