Pasco teens suspected of breaking into more than 100 cars....what kind of parents...?

[GloryB]

I don't know what to say and I don't know if I always blame the parent(s). After a certain age, when a kid leaves the house, there is only so much you actually know of what they do. I was a single mom and worked long hours sometimes. My kids did the most stupid azzed stuff you can imagine. I was embarrassed, exhausted and had no clue as to what to do.

I look back now and try to figure out at what point I went terribly wrong. I take it back to when they were 3-4 years old and I was way to lenient because I felt guilty that their dad had walked out.
If I could turn back time, I would have raised them with a much stricter attitude and actually spanked them.
In short, I would have listened to my own mother instead of all the psychological no spanking crap I read.

[bentlebee]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Bentlebee I think you commented awhile back on the story also in Pasco where a teen was shot to death at a house party. It was in Lakeland I believe.

Anyway it was a bunch of kids at 3am at a house party, around 16 yrs of age.

I guess kids don't have curfews anymore.

I just had Baynews 9 on and they mentioned curfews in Pasco County and fines of $ 50.- for the teens and the parents could be charged as well. Up to 18 years old, weekdays between 11 pm and 5 am and weekends from 12-5 am.

----

In response to others who wrote why I didn't mention a "dad", that is because no dad was mentioned in the article, but of course both parents are responsible, unless the kids live with one of them.
Even if you let your kids do their own laundry, to me it isn't an excuse not to know and never look in their closets. What if some dirty laundry is laying in their closets for weeks...they are still kids and need guidance.

On top of that we all see on tv how kids not always tell the truth and some use or do things they shouldn't do...isn't it the responsibility of the parents to know a little bit of their where abouts...150 break ins...is a bit more than taken 1 time stuff from another person.

It isn't an excuse not to know that your kids are at night hanging outside or actually working very hard, to commit crimes...specially with 2 kids.

The other side is that it is also the responsibility of car owners to lock their cars and take valuebles out. Maybe I learned at a young age because in the Netherlands car owners will get a ticket for leaving their car open with valuebles in it. Ins. won't pay a dime if something will be missing from a car without any signs of break ins and certain items aren't ins. when left in a car.....because over 25 years ago, the same things happened over there and ins. premiums went through the roof, so ins. company decided that responsible car owners don't have to pay for others and just stopped to pay out...since that wasn't helping enough, and radio's, gps systems, etc...went stolen by drug addics, the police start to make car owners aware they are a huge part of the problem and started to give out tickets, that really helped!

It is sad that others can't stay of other peoples valuebles or stuff, but that is how it is....

So my view changed a lot and when I hear that cars are broken into when left open, I think at first how stupid a person can be to leave his purse in a open car!
The same things is for woman who leave their purse in shopping carts and walk to the other side of the aisle...don't do that in Europe, it will be gone...this week I walked into the post office and a person had her purse, glasses, phone all laying on a table in the foyer, nobody was there...I'm not sure if it was a set up to see who would take it, since there are camera's, but again in Europe it would be gone.....

So to many who always complain how bad Tampa is, I guess it is way better than many places in Europe, since it seems over here the crime is 25 years behind, and I feel way safer here

[algia]

Please don't generalize this: "The same things is for woman who leave their purse in shopping carts and walk to the other side of the aisle...don't do that in Europe, it will be gone" THAT is not true, it happens sometimes just as you can get your wallet stolen from your pocket in New York, it is NOT an everyday thing.......so don't make it sound like people get robbed every day in Europe because it is NOT TRUE.

I agree that it is pretty stupid to leave your car open and even more stupid to leave your purse and such....

BUT, IF PARENTS would freakin teach kids to be good citizens and not steal etc then we wouldn't have to lock up EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! IT is ridiculous to have to continuously lock things up just because parents can't do their job and teach their kids manners and basic life common sense!

[malamute]

Originally Posted by GloryB

I don't know what to say and I don't know if I always blame the parent(s). After a certain age, when a kid leaves the house, there is only so much you actually know of what they do. I was a single mom and worked long hours sometimes. My kids did the most stupid azzed stuff you can imagine. I was embarrassed, exhausted and had no clue as to what to do.

I look back now and try to figure out at what point I went terribly wrong. I take it back to when they were 3-4 years old and I was way to lenient because I felt guilty that their dad had walked out.
If I could turn back time, I would have raised them with a much stricter attitude and actually spanked them.
In short, I would have listened to my own mother instead of all the psychological no spanking crap I read.

Plenty of kids from single parent homes turn out okay and don't commit any crimes. I think you are on the right track that it can be from being very lenient and making excuses and justifying bad behavior.

Single parents can have it tougher - although not always, but they have to provide the same kind of discipline and stable home life that the kids need.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by bentlebee

Even if you let your kids do their own laundry, to me it isn't an excuse not to know and never look in their closets. What if some dirty laundry is laying in their closets for weeks...they are still kids and need guidance.

A parent certainly does have the right and need to know what is going on with their kids. It's like the Columbine school killings where the kids were making bombs to murder their classmates and right under their parents' noses.

It is the duty of parents to raise their children and know if they are bringing things into the home that should not be there.

So parents -- it is your duty to snoop, if you find nothing but dirty socks, okay but when you find home made bombs, semi-automatics, drugs, stolen goods, then you should be held responsible when it's your minor age child.

[DubbleT]

I wouldn't make the assumption these crimes happened in the evening. I grew up with a couple of guys who eventually went to juvenile detention facilities. One for B & E, and one for car theft. Both kids preferred to commit their crimes during the day. Easier to target empty homes where everyone is at work, and to target unlocked cars in full parking lots.
I'd guess this was a single mom whose kids were out getting into trouble while she's at work. It's kind of hard to monitor teens 24/7

~The kids don't sound too bright either. It was pretty stupid to hide the stuff in their rooms. The kid I know that did the B & E, they found his stash in a hole he dug back under the garden shed, where his mom was sure not to stumble upon it accidentally.