Mother Calls 911 to Stop Son Playing Video Game

Angela Mejia had to call the police on her 14-year-old son to get him to stop playing Grand Theft Auto. Police managed to convince the teen that 2:30 am was too late, and there would be plenty of hookers to beat in the morning. Mrs. Mejia said, “Sometimes I want to run away, too. I have support from my church, but I’m alone. I want to help my son, but I can’t find a way.” I guess it is illegal to throw away game consoles in the land of parental irresponsibility where the Meijias live.

Comments

What the fuck.

[Anonymous Coward]

She bought him the game? Can she not take it away? Unplug it? She should be in some sort of trouble for wasting the police's time on this.

Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Locke2005]

Calmly and quietly walk into the room and yank the power plug for the console out of the wall. Continue doing this every time he starts playing the game. Eventually he will get the message -- he can't kill hookers and protect the power source at the same time. (There is also the tactic of pulling out the fuse or flipping the circuit breaker to avoid a direct confrontation.)

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not even to mention the Xbox 360 has parental controls for this. No one had commented because it is beyond stupid to the point of being retarded. Before parental controls parents usually physically took the console away, anyway.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Anonymous Coward]

The effectiveness of pulling power cords and similar confrontation depends on the kind of 14-yo. I know one in particular that you wouldn't want to be on the angry side of. Physically large and has access to weapons.

The problem started long, long ago, but alas without a time-machine, the mom is pretty much stuck now.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[clone53421]

First of all, it was a PlayStation. Second, she DID try unplugging it.

Obviously, nobody reads TFA, so I have no idea how I know this.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[v1]

Physically large and has access to weapons.

If your kid has that, has attitude, and doesn't respect your authority as their parent, video games are the least of your problems.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Anonymous Coward]

you must be the kid....or maybe the 53,421st clone of the kid.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[phedre]

Unplugging it didn't work, removing it from the room would work though.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Nutria]

The problem started long, long ago, but alas without a time-machine, the mom is pretty much stuck now.

+5, Most Insightful Slashdot Comment of 2009

If the parent doesn't establish control early, the family is screwed.

(Yes, yes, I know: there's a delicate, always-changing balance between parental control and giving children the freedom to grow, explore and fail.)

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[hedwards]

Eh, the problem is that parents frequently know nothing of how to actually raise a kid. Often times that need to control ends up as abuse. Establishing control is in and of itself abuse and there's a dangerously fine line that parents aren't necessarily very good at negotiating.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[SeaFox]

See, this is why those proprietary display adapters were so great.

If you took it away, the kid would have to go out and [i]buy[/i] another, now they can just reach into that electronics junk box and pull out a spare composite/component/HDMI cord that originally came with some other home entertainment device to hook up with.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Nutria]

Establishing control is in and of itself abuse

Balderdash. Incredible, absolute hogwash.

Without control, you get rude, snotty, out-of-control kids.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Locke2005]

Many "out of control" kids actually long for structure in their lives. Why do you think so many of them join the military?

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Anonymous Coward]

How about just not caring what your kid is doing, just as long as they aren't keeping you up. That's how I was brought up, and I turned out fine(Although I think it was the root cause for me doing my best work in the middle of the night).

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[sjames]

(Yes, yes, I know: there's a delicate, always-changing balance between parental control and giving children the freedom to grow, explore and fail.)

There is a fine line, but clearly that kid was well accustomed to being far on the wrong side of it. When I was that age, the hard line was adulthood. Verbal abuse of an adult had unpleasant consequences but even the slightest hint of physical violence to an adult was more doom than you cared to imagine, especially if that adult was a parent.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[eiMichael]

Because they're poor and no other job will take them?

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[Anonymous Coward]

Unplanned Pregnancy.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[danbert8]

My parents used to put a small lock on the plug, which had a hole through one of the terminals. This would prevent you from even plugging it in. I like to think I turned out pretty well.

Re:Don't bother arguing with the kid

[g0bshiTe]

Which is why when faced with that situation, instead of a confrontation, calmly walk up to the tv look at the kid point a .45 at the tv squeeze, then in a soft voice say "I think it's time for you to go to bed", and exit the room.

solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe its just me, but wouldn't pulling the plug on the game and spanking the kids ass solve the problem?

Re:solution.

[Grizzley9]

You don't have teenager kids or even remember being one, do you?

Re:solution.

[v1]

spanking isn't very effective on 14yr-olds. especially if they're big enough to spank you

Re:solution.

[aBaldrich]

I can tell you from my personal experience that spanking is one of the worst things you can do against a child.

Slashdot image

[Bearded Frog]

looks like a young stephen hawking

Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

Spanking is actually a very effective tool, when used properly.

The point of spanking is _not_ to inflict harm, but rather to inflict a blow to the ego. It only works for a certain age range, and under certain circumstances.

A slap in the face is a sharp reminder that you aren't in charge, and you had better rethink your actions. If you find yourself repeatedly hitting a kid with the intent of causing pain, that is child abuse. The former is like getting burned by a hot surface -- it's an instant reaction and shouldn't have long-lasting effects beyond the psychological effect (learning not to touch hot surfaces); the latter is like teaching the same lesson by lighting one's clothes on fire -- it _will_ have long-lasting painful effects and is not any more effective at teaching the lesson (learning not to touch hot surfaces)

Above a certain age/maturity level, spanking becomes counter-productive (it turns into a fight-starter rather than a one-shot ego-killer). Additionally, with everyone's finger on the 911 button just waiting to report others' for what they think might be child abuse, spanking in public places is probably not wise, no matter how justified or proper it would be

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't think of any instance where it is "justified or proper" to "kill" a child's "ego" with physical violence. Ever.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Xphile101361]

Spanking is actually a very effective tool, when used properly.

I completely agree.

A slap in the face is a sharp reminder that you aren't in charge, and you had better rethink your actions.

Umm... I thought we were talking about spanking here... Spanking is not slapping and should never be used. Slapping is a physical assault on a person, even if it does not cause permanent physical damage (though I'm not saying that it couldn't). Slapping people has always been a cornerstone of domestic abuse. Beyond that, it is also ineffective as a teaching aid. Slapping to remind someone that you "aren't in charge" only promotes the idea that for them to be in charge, you have to hit them back. This leads to a cycle of using physical force to assert one's dominance. It is the reason why in the animal kingdom, change of leadership is usually very violent and often deadly... it is a system where dominance is asserting by using physical force.

The former is like getting burned by a hot surface -- it's an instant reaction and shouldn't have long-lasting effects beyond the psychological effect (learning not to touch hot surfaces); the latter is like teaching the same lesson by lighting one's clothes on fire -- it _will_ have long-lasting painful effects and is not any more effective at teaching the lesson (learning not to touch hot surfaces)

Depending on what you meant, I'm going to have to disagree again. Spanking should never be used as an instant reaction. By using it as an instant reaction, it allows anger, frustration and all of the bad reasons to take precedent over. It should only be used when necessary, and when it is explained to the child why this is happening.

I for one always dislike it when parents spank their children out of frustration. This happens often in stores when children as misbehaving, a parent will give their child a smack on the bottom. This is usually followed by a "Stop that" or "Cut it out". In turn, the child usually just ends up crying. Yes, the spank itself did very little physical harm, but what is more is that the child is punished and most likely has no clue why. Thus the child has learned nothing except that their parents are going to inflict minor physical pain when they are angry and frustrated.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

Good luck raising children, then.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

Umm... I thought we were talking about spanking here... Spanking is not slapping and should never be used. Slapping is a physical assault on a person, even if it does not cause permanent physical damage (though I'm not saying that it couldn't). Slapping people has always been a cornerstone of domestic abuse.

There isn't much difference between "spanking" and "slapping." Getting hit in the butt is the same as getting hit on the face, just less effective.
Knives have always been the cornerstone of stabbing-crime... that doesn't mean they aren't useful as proper tools in other circumstances...

This leads to a cycle of using physical force to assert one's dominance. It is the reason why in the animal kingdom, change of leadership is usually very violent and often deadly... it is a system where dominance is asserting by using physical force.

When your child is physically big enough and mentally mature enough to assert dominance by force, then you need new, non-physical discipline tools. Spanking is only for a certain age range where it's effective and doesn't lead to physical fights (see OP -- they mentioned this quite clearly)

Depending on what you meant, I'm going to have to disagree again. Spanking should never be used as an instant reaction.

You misinterpreted "instant reaction" to mean the parent instantly reacting to the situation with a slap, rather than the situation being instantly over after 1 slap. In the context of burning your finger versus lighting your arm on fire, burning your finger is over in an instant, and hopefully you've learned your lesson with no further action or harm necessary.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

Anybody who has to resort to hitting their child is a crappy parent and shouldn't have kids. As a matter of fact, they should have their punk asses kicked for striking a defenseless child. I was spanked as a child (hands, belts, sticks). It didn't stop my behavior. It just made me hate my parents for years. I have kids. I have never had to resort to striking them. They are well behaved, don't take back, and have never thrown a tantrum. My daughter is an A student, has never been in trouble, and is starting college next year. We have a great relationship because I don't feel the need to smack her around. To all you parents who hit your children: you are scum. You are cowardly. You are inept parents.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure why all the anti-violence posts are modded down, but here's another one.

As someone who has their own child and has been a foster carer for children who are much more challenging than anything most of you could imagine, I can say that I have never hit a child. NEVER. Hitting a child or even shouting at a child is a sign to that child that you have lost control. In the short term you may instill fear, but eventually that will be overcome and your problems are multiplied. There are many many many non-violent way to influence a childs behaviour.

In the UK hitting your child is assault. You can use 'reasonable chastisement' as a defense against that assault, and the police may choose not to persue the assault or the judge/jury may acquit you on that basis, but that doesn't mean it isn't assault to strike a child. I expect this will change in the next decade. There is never a reasonable form of assault.

My child is very well behaved. He has very solid boundaries and when he crosses them there are consequences to reassert those boundaries. I have never hit him and I never will. The boundaries are enforced by mutual respect and trust, rather than fear that he will receive some form of abuse because I don't have the basic parenting skills required.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

The point of spanking is _not_ to inflict harm, but rather to inflict a blow to the ego.

I can't think of any instance where it is "justified or proper" to "kill" a child's "ego" with physical violence.

Note that the GP did not say "kill" you did.

spanking = "blow to the ego != physical violence

hyperbole = fail

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Anonymous Coward]

Anybody that thinks they can put all children in a one-size-fits-all box is going to suck as a parent. Children are different, and some NEED to be spanked. Spanking != hitting. Spanking is very narrowly defined. Spanking is done for the proper reasons for a specific result, as the OP outlined.

I was physical beaten by my stepfather on several occasions, and I can tell you that if you think spanking is abuse, then you aren't much of a human being, both physically and mentally.

That being said... I don't spank my children... not because I think it is wrong, but because I haven't found it necessary with my children. They break down in emotional distress if I tell them that I am disappointed in them. They strive to please us to the point of perfection... and I really don't know where that comes from... I demand effort, but failure is a requirement for learning... so they are free to fail.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Aldenissin]

There isn't much difference between "spanking" and "slapping." Getting hit in the butt is the same as getting hit on the face, just less effective. ....

When your child is physically big enough and mentally mature enough to assert dominance by force, then you need new, non-physical discipline tools. Spanking is only for a certain age range where it's effective and doesn't lead to physical fights (see OP -- they mentioned this quite clearly)

To everyone here, there is a lot of difference, as the (GP) pointed out.. I was 14 when my mom decided to slap me. That is when I knew it was time to leave. I would have respected her decision to spank me, but instead she slapped me. If anyone does not believe that there is a difference, why don't you be brave enough to try a little experiment. Allow someone to pop your bottom. Not so bad, was it? Stung a little. Now allow them to slap you. See? A slap in the face is a slap in the face. Slapping someone when they are mad at you only makes things worse. Properly spanking them can perform the (should be) intended action, of informing the child there will be consequences to actions.

You misinterpreted "instant reaction" to mean the parent instantly reacting to the situation with a slap, rather than the situation being instantly over after 1 slap. In the context of burning your finger versus lighting your arm on fire, burning your finger is over in an instant, and hopefully you've learned your lesson with no further action or harm necessary.

And here we have a Coward again trying to reinterpret what he was being said. without dissecting why he is wrong, have you ever known anyone to slap someone other than instantly? It just sends the wrong message. Spanking however, can send the right one. There are many factors, such as age but I bet you that they guy who got caned (Taiwan?) will no longer be trashing sports cars in a foreign country, or otherwise. Do I think it was overboard, perhaps. But it worked. Slapping him in the face, doubtful.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Aldenissin]

You are cowardly. You are inept parents.

You are the coward here. You even go by that name. Inept? Why. because they discipline? You think that because you parents abused you all parents that spank properly do? If this is what you teach your children, then sit you are inept.

Re:Spanking is not necessarily Child Abuse

[Aldenissin]

I'm not sure why all the anti-violence posts are modded down, but here's another one.

That is easy, they are wrong and have an agenda. They directly insult those who are wiser.

As someone who has their own child and has been a foster carer for children who are much more challenging than anything most of you could imagine, I can say that I have never hit a child. NEVER. Hitting a child or even shouting at a child is a sign to that child that you have lost control.

In general, I would agree, however one could argue the moment a child does anything outside of instruction you have lost control. In the right circumstances, yelling can be good, albeit rarely. I fell the punishment when applicable should illustrate the consequences, even if not fully realized directly to the child. If a child is yelling for instance, and refuses to stop, yelling at them could convince them why it is not good to yell, depending on why the child was yelling. Lets say it was distracting a family member. Allow them to play the video game. They will be confused sure, but as soon as they get to a place where concentration is needed, let them have it. You have shown them courtesy by allowing them to play when they know they are wrong, and often you may find they will actually ask you to stop. Be creative in parenting, but be careful. Reaching for the belt every-time is disastrous.

   

There is never a reasonable form of assault.

What if the child is in the middle of hitting someone else and that is the only way? You have big fallacies in your arguments.

Cut the power Spiderman!

[Dogbertius]

I just installed a couple timers (similar to those people use at this time of year to set their Christmas lights so they don't run all throughout the day) on the circuits connected to the television and such. God I love being an engineer (Bio + computer). If the kid decides to take his gaming system to the TV upstairs, I cut it off too. If he gets in the habit of popping open the circuit breaker box, I'll cut the wall right open (learned a lot on electrical and upgrading the house from my father as a kid) and install a local power timer I can control via IP. Done. To be honest, the kids usually make a point of finishing up with their games at least a half hour before the timer kicks in, because: a) Half the games they play require at least an hour to complete missions before reaching save points b) Despite having surge protectors in place, they think that if the power goes off while the Wii is running, it will fry the Wii. Yeah, not the more dastardly blackhat trick ever, but effective. Also, don't let the kid have a TV in their room, it just makes this nonsense more common. While I personally don't care that a 14-year old is up at 2:30am on a SATURDAY playing games, I think the lady is just plain dumb for calling the cops over this. Another waste of resources, plain and simple. A similar issue happened with a family friend up the street, the kid was playing WoW until 5am, getting up at 7am to play again, being late for classes, etc (NO COPS THOUGH). A simple call to me, and the router now cuts off internet access between 8pm and 7am. Want to pull the router out of the equation and be a smart-ass, coupling the cable modem directly to your own PC? No go - the adults are the only ones with the passwords to register a new mac address for the internet account, so that just won't work. Reset the router with a pin? Nope, lovely custom linux firmware, retains the settings in EEPROM. There are always effective ways to deal with this. It's sad that we must rely on them though, as there is no substitute for doing a parent's job - parenting. I can't remember the last time the measures I put in place were actually needed, and I'm proud of that.

Re:Cut the power Spiderman!

[Aldenissin]

Dogbertius - THAT is parenting.

Re:Cut the power Spiderman!

[Aldenissin]

Even more, you should start a website. I have found that children really do want parenting, even if they are not aware. Also, parents want to parent, but they think it is hopeless. Only knowledge and truth will dispel myths. Getting it out there could go a very, very long way. Imagine, if it took off and parents parented, what the fruits would be!

Re:Cut the power Spiderman!

[Dogbertius]

Even more, you should start a website. I have found that children really do want parenting, even if they are not aware. Also, parents want to parent, but they think it is hopeless. Only knowledge and truth will dispel myths. Getting it out there could go a very, very long way. Imagine, if it took off and parents parented, what the fruits would be!

Well, I already run a blog I update with tutorials on image processing, microcontroller stuff, etc. It's mainly designed to give insight into learning these things from the ground-up, regardless of prior experience. I might consider throwing together a collection of simple guides on this subject. With the exception of tearing open the wall and installing new power equipment (plus sealing and repainting it), most of these workarounds are very simple to implement and safe. Thank you for the positive feedback :)

Re:Cut the power Spiderman!

[Aldenissin]

It's mainly designed to give insight into learning these things from the ground-up, regardless of prior experience.

Why am I not surprised?

I might consider throwing together a collection of simple guides on this subject. With the exception of tearing open the wall and installing new power equipment (plus sealing and repainting it), most of these workarounds are very simple to implement and safe. Thank you for the positive feedback :)

Positive feedback (in some form) is what keeps us going. I do not know much about websites yet, but I have some ideas. Perhaps opening the wall is too extreme for a child issue... but might be good for other reasons. What I am getting at is that I would like to start something helps people see how easy everything really is, and can be. In the words of Mr. Miyagi, "No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher!" (Unless that student avoids good teachers?) In other words, to learn anything one must be interested. I guess that goes for sovling problems as well, for that is a learning experience.

  Anyhow, I know that understanding how a nuclear reactor works really is not hard. It just isn't. Anyone who uses energy should know their options, including that. Just like most anyone who drives a car (everyone?) should be aware their are cylinders, a cyclic explosion, etc. It is not rocket science. But even I would probably be surprised by how many people do not know. It is sickening. We are behaving like children and do things very inefficiently. Perhaps if a small percentage of us started thinking logically like adults, we could quickly encroach upon a critical mass.

How many complaint responses would there be ...

[DutchUncle]

... if she HAD discarded or hidden the game system? By the time I was 14, I was bigger than my mom; by the time my son was, he was bigger than his mom. As others have noted, the time to instill a balance between independence and control/discipline/whatever is when kids are smaller. Also as noted, I just hope all the readers who don't have kids yet realize that (a) maybe their parents had a point, and (b) all the things you swore you'd never do with your kids look a lot different from the other side.

Re:How many complaint responses would there be ...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't have biological children yet but I am currently teaching in a school for youth who have (for whatever reason) not been able to make it in the public school system. I learned two things from looking back on my parents' "points":
1. They were right; I did play videogames too often.
2. Pulling rank (i.e. "I'm bigger/stronger/your parent/the teacher/the boss/etc.") is part of the backup system. The backup system has its place, which is after you've tried plenty of positive reinforcement.

Discipline starts early, but with good technique and lots of patience, even the surliest 14-year-old can be brought to see things your way.

Side note. Parents: please be patient with your kids and do not hit them. They are 10x harder to turn around if they've been through that crap.

Re:How many complaint responses would there be ...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Christian way is to not spare the rod, and use it heavily and forcefully. Who are you to question Jesus when disciplining kids?

Re:How many complaint responses would there be ...

[b4upoo]

This incident made good headlines but it really may have been far more serious than it seems. If this kid is having serious mental issues and refuses to comply with parents there is no way to use force these days without ending up in jail. It is a sad fact but every now and then there comes a situation where a good punch in the nose can straighten a kid out and even save his life. I am not advocating beating kids but there really are oddball situations where some measure of brutality is actually the best or only treatment. That is why some troubled kids get straight in the Army. When pain and punishment are continuously at hand some people finally get the message to fly right.

Re:How many complaint responses would there be ...

[Aldenissin]

The Christian way is to not spare the rod, and use it heavily and forcefully. Who are you to question Jesus when disciplining kids?

That is the Anonymous Coward way.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:As a child who was spanked....

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, I'm glad I'm not your kid. I can't imagine laying a finger on my child. If my son acts up, he gets put in timeout. If that doen't work, TV and toys are gone. Worst comes to worst and he ends up basically being confined to his room (which has no TV, games, toys, books, etc.) with nothing to do except stare at the wall. When that happens he shapes up real quick and learns his lesson.

I have no respect for people who resort to lazy parenting, i.e beating their kids. It's lazy parenting and barbaric. It's for people who would rather deliver a quick and brutal solution as opposed to taking the time necessary to punish the kids properly.