Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Meanest Mom on the Planet

I simply love when parents find interesting and unique ways to get their point across to their kids in punishment. There is this mom in St. Augustine Florida whose 13 year old daughter apparently stole her car. She had to wear a sandwich board sign that read: "I am 13 years old. I stole my mother's car without her permission and endangered my two younger brothers' lives as well as others on the road," and stand downtown for hours. It seems to have gotten the point across. And the picture is priceless.

The article also gives examples of others who have had to wear sandwich board signs. My favorite is: The family of Jamal Wooten, 16, of Portage, Ind., made him wear a sign downtown after he got into trouble at school. The sign said, "I got suspended for using foul language. Look at me now. Don't be like me." It's great when parents are creative and get the point across without simply beating their kids. The lessons learned probably last a lot longer too.

Those other stories are good however none compare with "The Meanest Mom on the Planet" Jane Hambleton of Iowa who became semi-famous earlier this week. This mom just got her son a car around Thanksgiving and gave him only 2 rules. Keep the car locked and No booze. Should be easy enough to follow don't you think? NOT for young Steven Hambleton. Mom finds a bottle of booze in the car and decides to levy the greatest punishment EVER! She placed the following classified ad in the DesMoine register:

Yep she sold his car. Something tells me he got the point. In my opinion the punishment fits the crime and no punishment is too strong to deter a teenager from drinking and driving.

Does anyone else have a unique parent punishment story that you either used or had used on you that got the point across? We would love to hear them.

-Doc

11 comments:

Schmoop said...

I heard this on the radio the other day. I thought old Mom did a rockin' good job on her boy. Cheers!!

Dana said...

You mean like the time when my son was in 5th grade and was sent to the principal's office for being disruptive? I went to school with him the next day and arranged for him to stand up in the front of his classroom and apologize to all of his classmates for disrupting their learning experience. Let's just say that it didn't happen again ...

The Mountain Cat said...

My parents made where a sign when I was 13 because I mauled two campers to death in the Catskills. I thought they were poachers!
- The Mountain Cat

Leighann said...

My oldest daughter used to bite her fingernails. One day I walked her to the bathroom and threatened to stick her hands in the toilet.

She stopped biting them. :)

Jay said...

I went to college with a guy who had to mail his car keys back home to his mother. She couldn't come up to get the car so she told him to mail the keys home for two weeks. And he did it too.

He didn't even make a copy and keep driving. He was sure she'd find out. LOL

Jahooni said...

I guess I am a mean mom. Here is my story: two days before Easter Sunday last year my daughter broke her foot while playing in her room with a friend that was over... they never told us. She had jumped off her bed. Later that evening she was very quiet and asked if she could go to bed early. I thought she was just tired from her playdate. The next morning she got up and dressed herself for T-Ball. I noticed that when she was on the field she was sorta limping around. Not really gun ho like she normally is. When it was her turn to bat like the second or third time, she hit it far, put the bat down and would not run to first. She went up to the coach and whispered something to him. I knew something was wrong. I go and get her and she says that she "twisted" her ankle before the game. I take her home, take off her cleats and her ankle is HUGE and purplish... we iced it while having it elevated off and on all day. She was sick to her stomach, wouldn't eat and slept the rest of the day. Easter morning we were in the emergency with a huge foot to be told that she broke it and that the break has been there for a while. She started crying to the point she was hypervinilating and still stuck by her story. I left the room and called up my girlfriend and asked to speak to her daughter. Taylor started crying and told me the truth. She told me that Kate was jumping off her bed trying to land in certain poses. Kate had made her not tell. I go back in the room and told her (while she is still being treated) that I know the truth and that she is in BIG trouble for lying. I made her call up the coaches and all her team players telling them that she is sorry for letting them down (because she is now out for like 6 weeks) she had to tell them she lied and that "no little monkeys should be junping off their beds" She had to say just that and repeat the song over and over to family, friends, strangers, etc.
Is that mean?

Unknown said...

Jahooni ~ I like your punishment.
I also like this woman's punishment ~ very calm and sensible. I bet he learned his lesson about booze in the car. If not, he needs to be smacked upside the head.

I have no good stories, guess I need to be a meaner mom? I only take all their toys away, and I do mean all.

Doc said...

Matt-Man - Yep my philosophy is like yours. Cheers to you but not, if you are driving!

Dana - that is a classic example of parental justice.. And I can see why it didn't happen again. Peer embarrasment is a strong tool in a parents arsenal.

Mt. Cat - Poachers huh?

Leighann - Eeeeeeeew !!!

Jay - That is pretty good. That guy must have known that his mom didn't play !!

Jahooni - Good grief- she hid a broken foot?? That is scary actually. But yes the punishment fit the crime. I bet she doesn't do either thing again. Act as stupid or try and hide it.

Penelope - Taking away toys can be efective too. Just ask my buddy Absolutgator about the most memorable punishment his dad ever laid on him. Maybe he will come in and tell the story.

Jahooni said...

I was actually very hurt that she wouldn't tell us. The only reason why she didn't is because the little girl that was over had broken her arm from jumping off the swings just several months prior and Taylor actually got growded by her parents because she wasn't allowed to do that. I guess Katelyn knew she would be in trouble. But she did learn her lesson.

Karen said...

I love that meanest mom story. Personally, I was an angelic child and I never did anything which would cause my parents to reprimand me. ;)

none said...

I'm the same kind of parent.

However, the guy is 19, that's a grown man, he can get a job and buy his own car.