Neon,

It didn’t matter whether the bottle was his or not. And yes, I remember when I was 19 better than most people. I even remember when I was 17 and a friend of mine wanted me to drive him to his dealer’s house to get some drugs. I refused because I didn’t want them in my car. He got pissed, and we were not friends much longer. Last time I saw him he looked like crap and was broke. He went from being a popular kid with all the advantages to a being a loser.

I made plenty of mistakes, and I learned from many of them. I know people who never had to learn from them, and they still have no sense.

No, it is not fair that the drinking age is 21 and the draft age is 18. What’s really not fair is trying children as adults. (However, if you are ever drafted, they will let you drink on the Army post.)

Either learn not to break the rules, or learn not to get caught. Everyone needs at least one of those skills.

“Don’t air your dirty laundry in public.”

If so, then the teen brought the attention to the situation, not the mom.

So who DID write the ad? (Sorry, no time to check the link).

EDIT: FYI, I used to own a 99 Intrigue. Best GM sedan at the time. It’s a shame it’s gone (or lives on as the Lacrosse).

But you can’t drink until you’re 21? And mom can sell your car if you’re 19 and caught with alcohol in your car?

Something’s wrong here…

But Mommie Dearest sounds like a sanctimonious control freak drama queen who must be unbearable to deal with. If there’s anything worse than a drunk, it’s a teetotaling grandstander who adores being the center of attention while bringing embarrassment to others. From the sound of things, if that was my mother, I’d probably be inclined to hit the bottle myself…

(Or perhaps the car had mechanical problems, and this was a handy way to sell it for top dollar without having to reveal the defect. I’d be interested to know how this car is running a few months from now.)

Perhaps, because we’re GOOD parents. Perhaps, because we have a sense of proportion and we believe in the punishment fitting the crime.

Perhaps, because we recognize that the mother already took the car away, and for that reason the kid is NOT going to be out driving around drunk.

If you do something that stupid, humiliation should be part of the punishment (in addition to beating the crap out of him).

No, it should not be.

If everyone’s parents were like her we wouldn’t have a lot of the silly problems we face today.

If she was such a great mother, why did her kid have booze in the car in the first place? If everyone’s parents were like her, we would probably have even MORE of the silly problems we face today.

But merely taking away her son’s car was not good enough for her. She had to add in an extra-large helping of public humiliation as well.

The ad was overkill and demonstrated poor judgement on the mother’s part.

If she says no alcohol in the car, regardless if it was empty or unopened, she means NO ALCOHOL IN THE CAR. What do you not understand about that?

What, do you expect her to coddle the 19 year old and say, “It’s ok this time, but NEXT time I sell the car?” No. You are all arguing he is an adult. As such, he wontly broke the agreement and now must pay the consequences. Period. It’s a good leason in reality.

On the other hand, he being 19 and living with his parents casts a serious doubt on his ability to be responsible. What his mother did may, in his case, have been the best possible action and yes, she is an attention whore.

The kid is lucky that all he had was his car sold. I actually think my parents would have thrown me into next week…..or worse.

Mom sounds like an insecure publicity hound desperate for attention. She could have just gone on Jerry Springer.

With so much going for her, including the ability to attract attention and the press, one of the big 2.8 should hire her for their marketing department. It probably won’t help their sales much, but it will get attention.

At 19, shouldn’t this kid be off in college or something?

More to the point, at 19 shouldn’t he be old enough to have a job and buy his own car?

My Irish step-mom ripped my license up and threw it my face for some youthfull indiscretions. Made if fun to explain to police. More than once did a cop think I was chalk and penciling.

I stand corrected; he should have either learned a.) don’t hold things for friends b.)finish the bottle and throw it away or learn to be sneaky and find a better place to hide it or c.)since it’s rural Iowa, take crystal meth instead.

Tell me, Landcrusher, when you were 19 you never, ever made any mistakes? Not one? You sprung forth fully mature and competent?

Now, I am against drunk driving, it’s stupid and dangerous, but one of the things I LOVE about this country is how at 20 years and 364 days one is still too immature to handle alcohol responsibly, but the next day one is fully qualified. There isn’t any proof that this 19 year old man drove drunk. If a cop had pulled him over and he had been stupid enough to agree to a search, he would have been in deep trouble for underage possession and (probably) open-container violation.

I’m not going to comment on this thread any more. It’s obvious I am in the minority and I sincerely doubt I’m going to change anyone’s mind. Like I said, if it was her property, it’s her right to sell it. I just think she did it in kind of a self-aggrandizing, dick fashion. Yes, because she LOVES her son. And the applause.

Now Dad needs to punch Junior right in the mouth.

While he cries and holds his hand over his split lip, Dad and Mom should both explain that the world in a harsh and lonely place full of nasty surprises, but no moreso than being in jail, which is where he will be if he is arrested for driving under the influence. It gets worse in prison, where he will be if he hurts or kills someone.

EDIT:

Ok, maybe the punching part is a little extreme, so maybe Junior’s Old Man should just throw a bucket of ice water on him while he is loafing on the sofa playing with his X-Box.

You have it wrong. Likely, this woman will have made her own arrangements for retirement. You see, we have evidence that she believes that actions have consequences. Furthermore, this lesson will more likely teach her kid the same thing. Better he learn about reality now, and he may be able to pay for a nice nursing home.

Lots of people who are, or at least seem to be, successful have never really learned about consequences. It can really impact their personal lives, and unfortunately, it impacts ours because a lot of them vote.