Curfew-Breaking Teen Sentenced to Hard Time - Babysitting for Free

Never ceases to amaze me what some parents do for punishment! If I were this girl - I would wait until legal age and get them both back with embarassing photos and info on a full page ad in their local newspaper. Yes, who knows HOW LATE she was and WHY...? Overbearing and yes asking for trouble with preditors....etc. Parents sound like they are moronic idiots let alone have the class of a cockroach. Parents deserve retaliation and definately PARENTING CLASSES - should have had the parenting skill classes YEARS ago. the idiots.

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The parents were probably well-intentioned, and I believe teens need to be punished when they break rules, but putting your daughters photo in the paper offering a free service? Not a good idea. They could have handled this differently --- I am sure there were some friends or realtives that needed free babysitting.

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I'm not saying the girl shouldn't be punished for breaking curfew. Kids need to know that they can't get away with flouting their parents' rules. But I don't think this was the best way to punish her. She wasn't caught stealing or drinking or anything like that, she just came home late. It seems like the punishment was a little too much. However, she definitely won't be breaking curfew again any time soon.

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I am 70 years old, an i came from a family of 13, when my dad told us something to do we did exactly that. An we were not late when we did it. Parents need to have strong guidance in there home. i sure would not put an ad in the paper, that shows pure ignorance. First of all there is to many divorces today, children are shuffled around like trash. An i do believe this step mom had something to do with it, sounds like it to me, Maybe she needs thrown out. Discipline makes the child, we as parents lack that.

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I agree w/ all those here that are conscerned about pedophiles/rapists/child endangerment. they should have just kept the free babysitting in the family & friends circle instead of offering their daughter as a slave to whoever may have read the add. I also agree w/the thought that the parents should have offered an incentive for her to come home instead of threats. some personalities take threats as a challenge. And how would these parents have felt if some tragedy had happened on her watch? Say someone fell down the stairs & broke their neck, or the house caught fire & someone was burned or worse. Their daughter would be held liable. Or what if the person they left her w/ was a pedophile/rapist & she just disappeared? How smart would that feel?

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I agree with the parents lowering the boom on this kid, but I think this was the wrong way to do it. No parent should EVER advertise in the newspaper for their teenage daughter to go out into strangers' homes for ANY reason. Babysitting is a great job for a teenager, and make them do it for free in penance if you like, but make her work for families you know from work, the neighborhood or your house of worship.

Just looking at her photo in the newspaper with the headline "Want a free babysitter for a night out?" makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

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A number of years ago, when my son got into trouble at school, as part of his punishment, I took him to work with me. At the time, I was manager of a gas station/convenience store. He had to wash the windows of cars that were getting gas. If the customer offered a tip, he was to refuse it and explain why he was doing this. Worked very well. Customers were flabbergasted at first, then impressed and appreciative. My son is now an upstanding father of two young girls, and doing a fine job for himself and his family.

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who would let thier teenage daughter go to a strangers house? Every child molester knows this child. good work parents

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Her father & stepmother imposed the punishment. However, we do not know if her biological mother is still alive and whether they have shared custody or the father has full custody. For such a harsh punishment to be imposed, if there is shared custody, her real mother should have been consulted. And then there is the fact that punishing her may also be punishing the children she babysits because her being angry about the punishment may be passed on by her - intentially or unintentially. I think this was an ill advised punishment.

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I wholeheartedly believe in atoning for transgressions, but I would not feel safe having my teenaged daughter babysit for strangers who responded to a newspaper ad. I have to know the families of the people she sits for.

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Sounds like a great idea,but I would as another parent have some resversations about somebody babbysitting my kids as a form of punishment.This teenager is being punished for not following rules.Do you really want to intrust the care of your kids,and rules you would like followed ,to a teenager that might be tempted to violate your trust in the care of YOUR kids?

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Agree that she should be punished. She's a good, smart kid who certainly knows how to contact her parents if her car breaks down or she's going to be late for any reason. No excuses.

Publishing her picture advertising for free work is criminal. It's a far worse thing than missing curfew. It's offering your child up to be raped, kidnaped, killed. If a priest can rape a child in a church, none of your "careful screening" is going to do jack squat to protect your daughter. If you are willing to humiliate her so much that you do something as stupid as that, you don't deserve the daughter you have, broken curfew or not.

How many serial killers and serial rapists, once caught, did people say "Oh, I never would have believed it. He was such a nice man!"?

Stupid, mom and dad. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Let's hope your daughter learns more from YOUR mistakes than she does from her own. Maybe YOU should offer to do some community service as well for what you did? You put your child in DANGER. NOTHING is worth that.

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Sounds like a step mothers idea to me lol..The kid is a looker and an A student and they publically humiliate her for a curfew violation?
I cannot believe the number of people in ehre who believe sticking your kids photo in the papers and offering her out for free services is ok. They should get nailed for this crap. They cannot ground their kid? They have to make her look like a fool? I bet she bails the day she turns 18 and never looks back at these 2 loosers.

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If she is an honor student this probably isn't the only time her picture has been printed. It isn't an invitation to rape. I think it's a pretty good punishment and it sounds like she is the kind of responsible youngster who would do a good job babysitting.
It certainly seems more constructive than my step daughters constantly "grounding" their children. Having to spend time in a bedroom with internet, television and soundsytem while talking and texting on the cell isn't much of a punishment and certainly doesn't teach responsibility.

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threaten to erase all the music on their ipod or close out their fasebook account. or both or remove their laptop for 6 months..that's a good one that works

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The parents are harsh idiots. I beleive the old proverb "Spare the rod, spoil the child" but thisis going overboard. When my sons screw up they get grounded. If its really bad the get grounded from electricity. No T.V., no Ipod, no video games, nothing that uses electricity. On the other hand I also reward my boys for doing good. My oldest son was potty trained at 2 years old. If he used the toilet he got a tootsie roll, and no he doesn't have a mouthful of fillings because I also taught him to brush his teeth twice a day.

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If she'd been convicted of a misdemeanor in court (and violating a curfew is a misdemeanor), she'd have gotten community service as a first-time offender.

So, this makes total sense.

Bravo, Mom and Dad for holding your daughter accountable for her actions. It's a pity more parents don't do the same.

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First off I think it was a good punishment. Putting a child in their room to pout and do nothing is not productive. Second I am pretty sure that the parents did a good job of checking out the people wanting the baby sitting. I am also sure that she is already in trouble and she is not stupid enough to mistreat a child. Maybe her paretns thought of this and that is partly why she was not siting for infants and young children.Cerfew is a big deal. I know when my son was in his teens I would have went out of mind with worry if he had not called and didnt come home when he was suppose too. also if they are allowed to get away with this what rules are next they are going to push to the limit and past? I think the babysitting is a wonderful idea, for one if the parents are late coming home and she has to wait for them it is giving her a dose of what it feels like to be told one thing and then it not happen. What if the parents had to work the next morning and she was late coming home keeping them up and worried. I know we dont know all the details, and sense we dont, maybe we shouldnt be so judgemental on the parents was putting the child at harm. I dont think they was doing this.

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