Lost it last night and brought in the police!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take his phone away for bad manners, unless those violations were phone-related.

+1,000,000

I would never let my child leave the house without his phone...especially if he will be walking home alone. What is wrong with you OP?

PP here. Furthermore, if you wanted to punish you child for a phone related issue, you could have easily disabled features on the phone by deleting apps, disabling web access etc. The most important thing is that your child have access to communication when away from you. Also you should be tracking your child's phone via GPS at all times. Well I guess you found out the hard way, and now maybe you will know how to utilize your child's cell phone properly.

[Anonymous]

I'm so glad he's OK! The embarrassment of mom showing up with the police will keep him from forgetting for a while.

When my brother went to college he didn't call for several days. My mom called him, he never answered or called back. A few days turned into a week, and my mom was a worried mess. She called campus police, who showed up at his dorm, handed him a phone and said "call your mom".

Then, when my little brother went to a different college, history repeated itself. He hasn't forgotten to contact mom since the campus police showed up at his door. Apparently boys do it a lot, according to both schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad he's OK! The embarrassment of mom showing up with the police will keep him from forgetting for a while.

When my brother went to college he didn't call for several days. My mom called him, he never answered or called back. A few days turned into a week, and my mom was a worried mess. She called campus police, who showed up at his dorm, handed him a phone and said "call your mom".

Then, when my little brother went to a different college, history repeated itself. He hasn't forgotten to contact mom since the campus police showed up at his door. Apparently boys do it a lot, according to both schools.

When I went to college, I called my mother once a week. Everyone survived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take his phone away for bad manners, unless those violations were phone-related.

i disagree. You take away whatever they like most.

I disagree. I once failed a math test in 8th grade. My mom threatened to take away my gymnastics tape collection. ( I have every gymnastics meet recorded since 84) I told her if you do that I will kill myself. I 100% meant it. Guess who didn't take away my tapes.

Guess who need mental health services. ( and still does considering you can't see the issue with this)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last night i was cooking dinner at 5:45 p.m. and suddenly realized DS 11 yr old 6th grader was not home - was 1.5 hrs late. I called neighbors/friends -no one had seen him. I called the afterschool club leader - he said he was walking home that day. We had talked in the morning about him walking home - but he was now 1.5 hrs late. I turned off the stove, jumped in the car and drove in the direction of the school. Along the way, i saw the cop who always stakes out the school zone/25 mph speed trap. I pulled over and started sobbing. I lost it. he escorted me to the school - no DS. He called in 'back up' and asked for a description and a "where would he go?" Only then did i think of the public library - drove there (with police escort!) and there he was! GRRRRRRR i made him apologize/thank officers and call everyone I had called and tell them he was at the library and had not contacted me.

he doesn't have his phone right now b/c he's been so naughty lately we took it away! He get's lackadaisical with his, uh, manners and we have to confiscate the electronics every so often. But he was using the computer at the school and could have sent me a msg or used their phone!

Later i was so embarrassed by summoning police presence. I hope i shook him up but i felt badly that i had not thought of the library sooner. amen.

But you do realize that the police and adults involved are more likely to be pissed with you and think you are an idiot right?

Your DS had a phone, but you didn't let him use it. Actually he probably didn't think to ask the librarian to use the phone. My 11 yr old would not. She didn't grow up asking people in businesses if she could borrow a phone and she never saw me do it. Why would she? She grew up watching adults each have their own cell phone. He may not even realize that the library has a business phone and that people in the library would even be allowed to use it.

[Anonymous]

You did the right thing. Glad he is safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:... But he was using the computer at the *school* and could have sent me a msg or used their phone!
....

i meant at the library.

Thank you for the reassuring words. hopefully he's sufficiently impressed by the drama he caused and will be more communicative next time.

Makes me wonder about all the times i was late and my mom never called in the police! maybe it was different 40 years ago...

This is one of the huge indicators that society is truly sick compared to the past. Crime rates were higher in the past yet there was less helicoptering.

Societal trust has absolutely been destroyed in this country.

[Anonymous]

You didn't call his phone before freaking out?