"Mean mom" sells teen son's car after finding booze bottle in it

After finding the bottle, Jane Hambleton called the newspaper and placed this ad for the Oldsmobile 1999 Intrigue: "Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for 3 weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet." (Des Moines Register)

Comments

[jimmyjohn]

Congrats to the mom, good call and good sense of humor.

[SteveO]

Too early to award "Parent of the Year?"

[john]

yeah, just what the kid needs: public humiliation and shaming by mom will do wonders for his self esteem and self worth.

Booze in the car is sooo wrong and I'm fine with her selling the car, just don't turn it into a disc jockey stunt.

[jupiterjim]

Odds are that this will end up on Dr. Phil. Really.

[Dave]

That's very very funny. She's got a great sense of humor. But several things struck me as I read the story. One was that the kid said the booze wasn't his, and that his mother believed him. She also said he's a good kid and does well in school. Also, he's 19. Does she have a right to take away his property? Dunno the exact arrangement they had, though. The parents bought it for him (and it could've been in their name), so I suppose they can take it away. But I don't think I blame the kid for being bitter. Taking the car away does seem like an overreaction, and I think she coulda cut him some slack. Still, you gotta give the mother credit. She's a no-nonsense gal, she says what she means and she means what she says.

[KDP]

Note to kid: Buy your own car and keep it locked.

[LooseyGoosey]

Dave - My Dad told me "you get a moving violation before you turn 21 and the keys are mine" and he meant it. I remember I called my mother in hysterics after I got my first ticket, saying I couldn't possibly live without my car, I was 4 hours away from home.... until she finally interrupted me and asked me how old I was. I had just turned 21. ;-)

p.s. My Dad would *so* have put that ad in the paper, too, and I'd have deserved it. Booze bottle in my car? My responsibility, period - no matter which of my loser friends might have left it there.

[Sean, Torrington CT]

*shrug* Maybe it'll work, and maybe he'll just form a grudge against his parents.

The worst thing about the collapsing economy is that it gets harder every day for kids to leave their parents' homes. Food and fuel costs rise, wages stagnate, and although housing prices are falling, people are stuck with mortgages based on old values so rent won't budge.

Hopefully this kid is well balanced and doesn't put mom in the fridge or something. Although, something tells me that a 19 year-old who calls a 99 oldsmobile his 'pride and joy' isn't much of a threat to anyone.

[Mitt Romney]

"Although, something tells me that a 19 year-old who calls a 99 Oldsmobile his 'pride and joy' isn't much of a threat to anyone."
LOL I've had piece of crap vehicles (not to say an Olds is a piece of crap), and I loved them. Because they were MY pieces of crap. But them again, I paid for them.

Loosy, never had a dad around myself. And my mother wasn't a strict disciplinarian. So the only real discipline I have now is an album by King Crimson. Prolly why I have a difficult time with rules nowadays.

[Jim]

The kid knew the rules, its that simple. The rules did not specify that it was ok for friends to bring booze into the car. It was NO BOOZE in the car, period. If you cant follow the rules now, how can he later in life?
A simple thought process for the kid, stop the car a few blocks from home and check every nook and cranny in the car to CYA, especially after having friends in the car.

[Dave]

Goddammit, I thought I'd switched by name back.

[Cherie]

"Note to kid: Buy your own car and keep it locked."

Note to KDP: As a parent of teenagers NOTHING is off limits, not their room, not their car (even if they bought it). In order to protect your kids (and others) from their own stupidity.

In regards to the article: WOOO HOOO to that Mom! I thought intelligent parents were going to the wayside but just maybe there is still hope!

[Soo]

Rock on, mom. For those of you who think public humiliation isn't effective obviously hasn't ever done anything to warrant being subjected to a remarkably effective discipline tool. The kid learns mom doesn't take any crap and will stop at nothing, and then has a decision to make: do I think twice, do I not give a crap, or do I whine to Dr Phil and make myself look like a bigger idiot?

Story time!

My mom couldn't afford to buy herself a decent car, let alone a POS for me, so I got a job and bought one myself. When I brought it home, my mom asked me if I had insurance (I did) and then informed me that if I ever let the insurance lapse or anyone caught me doing anything illegal in or with my car, that if she didn't set it on fire I can count myself lucky.

She said, "Until you graduate high school and turn 18, I am sole owner of all your crap and responsible for all your errors. So if you f*ck up, I'll either kick your ass, kill you, or get rid of your stuff. If you really f*ck up, I'll send you to your dad."

Oh, and gas money? Fuggedaboudit.

After I hit a puppy with someone else's car, she took a wheel off mine for a month. I was pissed, but her point was clear: stop being a dumbass, and she'll stop looting my car.

**For the record, the puppy was uninjured, I offered to pay for the vet anyway, and I had been driving faster than necessary for a dirt road. Lesson learned.

[The Asshole Guy]

Cherie if a 19yr old who is an adult buys their own car the parnet cannot sell it no matter what. They can kick the kid out of the house buy they cannot sell his car. Hell for that matter they cannot take his keys without his permission and enter the car. It would be his property, not theirs. Again, they could kick him out but that is about all they could do.

As for the mom, good for her for sticking to her guns but I'm with KDP. Get your own ride and lock the freaking doors.

[LooseyGoosey]

Dave, you made me *hoot* with laughter this morning.

[LooseyGoosey]

Soo - I saw a kid on Dr. Phil once whining about how he'd "lost trust" with his folks when he found out they'd put a tracker on his car. Oh, *please*. My son will never "lose trust" with us because we plan to be 100% up front about all of it - what's his is OURS no matter how he gets it. Before he turns 18, even if he gets a job and buys something it's still ours to deal with because he has the job through *our* grace. Same with gifts. I have every confidence that my son will be like both his father and I, a scary good kid, but he will know that there is a Higher Power that's a little below God but certainly not much less in the "don't fuck with us" department.

[LooseyGoosey]

Soo - I saw a kid on Dr. Phil once whining about how he'd "lost trust" with his folks when he found out they'd put a tracker on his car. Oh, *please*. My son will never "lose trust" with us because we plan to be 100% up front about all of it - what's his is OURS no matter how he gets it. Before he turns 18, even if he gets a job and buys something it's still ours to deal with because he has the job through *our* grace. Same with gifts. I have every confidence that my son will be like both his father and I, a scary good kid, but he will know that there is a Higher Power that's a little below God but certainly not much less in the "don't mess with us" department. (I used a bad word in the heat of typing and the first one got flagged... I edited and we'll see if it goes through. Jim, if you see this, you can toast the one that's pending...)

[Cherie]

TAG, as a parent I can and WILL do anything that will protect my kids and others as long as they live under my roof. What's he gonna do? Sue his Mom? Legally I might be able to sell his car but you can bet I can place the ad and MAKE him sell the car when buyers show up. So Gimme a break. Like Soo's Mom...I can creative in my punishments, fortunately my kids have been smarter than the moron in the story. After a local accident where a 24 yr old drunk driver killed 4 kids and their Mom...and having to hear their Dad tell of the story (because he is a firefighter and was at the scene) I'm pretty damn sure they wont be drinking and driving.

[Nicole]

GREAT JOB MOM!! Too many parents don't enforce the consequences of rule breaking.

[lester]

what strikes me as wierd: the lady saying the ad came at "great expenmse." for a classified? in the register? no way.

[NellAgain]

The Ad was cute, but then frolicking through the comments...

Simon set the Way Back Machine

Its a beautiful morning in March in Arizona. I'm out by the hotel pool, sunning myself, on leave from the snow, sleet, and other midwestern winter abominations. Later that day I will take in a Cubs game at Spring training. Aided and abetted by two mimosas, I've achieved a state of bliss rarely granted to mortals.

And this woman behind me starts yammering. It seems she's the mother of two teenagers and has recently started tapping the house phone. (this was before the proliferation of cell phones). She used, more or less, the same rationales pro above. And oddly used some of the same words to describe her rights as a parent, obligation to the child etc. She seemed very pleased with herself and bursted at the seams spilling the gossipy little tidbits with which she had thwarted her children's plans.

I thought, well she's probably right about her rights and obligations but there are a lot of ways to exercise your rights and discharge your obligations. That doesn't make all of them wise.

But she's probably right. She'll probably also be mystified when the kids leave home and never visit or call.

Then I, as a grown up who left my natal family a long time ago to keep myself as I chose, went swimming, dressed, went to the game and had a lovely time.

[nlr]

This story started circulating at work yesterday and I'm tickled it ended up on OSRR.

I have a 17 year old stepson that inherited our 98 Olds Intrigue when he turned 16. He has done nothing but tear the shit out of it since he got it because he wanted the Chevy Z71 truck sitting in the garage instead of the car. Tough shit. When he got busted for having pot in the car I wanted to yank the keys out of his hands and sell the car, but my husband wouldn't let me. He was afraid it would make him revert into a really bad kid if we punished him so severely. Please. Give. Me. A. Effen. Break. My parents would have either sold or dismanted my car if I would have been so stupid at that age, and I would have deserved it. I even paid for my first car, the insurance, and the gas, but they would have had the right to do whatever as I still lived under their roof. Anyway, this whole issue caused so much angst at my house that I almost separated from my husband over it. We have two other children younger than this kid that are going to learn by example, and I want to make sure the example set is appropriate for the infraction committed.

Kids need to be held accountable for their actions, including the kid in said article. Booze under the seat probably equals booze being consumed in the vehicle, whether he was the one consuming it or not. I would not want to be the parent who got a knock on the door by the police because my kid was dead in a ditch, or had killed someone else.

[Yall]

More power to the mother! Yard apes have to be strictly taught and eventually they might turn into someone with a bit of character.

[Cherie]

correction...my earlier post I meant to say "I might NOT be able to legally sell his car"

[Sean, Torrington CT]

Character. Noun. A word used by dull under-achievers to describe humans who have learned to knuckle under to society's demands.

[buddy]

at some point parents should respect their kids privacy and let them learn on their own. if the mother was searching for the sake of searching then shame on her. he is 19. he is an adult; treat him like one. perhaps the kid is still on her tit so maybe she should stop powdering his ass everytime he takes a shit.

her reaction, although funny as hell, is really immature, disrespectful and childish. if she came across the bottle while being in the car for a valid reason then just sell the car and not make a big production out of it. that would be more than enough punishment. she reminds me of a cop that not only has to give the ticket but dish out their sense of superiority and wisdom as well. maybe... just maybe... she should concentrate on getting a real job or career that pays real money instead of a high school job like a disc jockey.

[Yall]

Sean, the more you post the more ignorant you prove you are. The public library is going to get tired of you hanging around the computers all the time. Go get a job and stop being a liEbral slacker living off the taxes of conservatives.

[fb]

Yall, the more you post the more ignorant you prove you are. Why do you keep hanging around here, boring is with your idiocy?

[Dave]

"her reaction, although funny as hell, is really immature, disrespectful and childish."
I'm kinda with buddy on this (except for the part about DJing not being a respectable job). I mean, what is the goal? Adherence to the rules? It seems to me that the best way to accomplish that is to generate obedience through respect. And respect works both ways. If the mother is going to invade this young man's privacy, show no leniency in unmercifully enforcing her rules despite the circumstances, and then publicly humiliate her son...what is this going to accomplish? Is it going to teach him a lesson? Or is it going to teach him to hate his spiteful and mean-spirited mother?

[Sean, Torrington CT]

Yall, being White Trash is nothing to be proud of.

[DCer]

I'm sorry, how can someone sell someone else's car? She's selling her own car and claiming it's her son's. this is a publicity gimmick like the sale of the guitar hero II game. I just don't buy any of this story, sorry.

[Zimbabalouie]

What an Asshole! You gotta love it when someone is an asshole and they get the respect of every other asshole on the planet.

Can you just hear it "Gawwd Mom yoour such an asshole." "Why did you do this to me?" "I can't believe you could be such an asshole." "I thought you loved me and you turn out to be an asshole." "All my friends think you are an asshole." "You know that none of me friends have parents that such an asshole."

Well from one asshole to another I say "Better mom finding it than an asshole cop."

[buddy]

dcer - what publicity gimmick are you referring to in regards to guitar hero ii?

[Lou Sussler]

"A simple thought process for the kid, stop the car a few blocks from home and check every nook and cranny in the car to CYA, especially after having friends in the car."

I used to do that, particularly as it was my Dad's car. That was way back in the days when drinking and driving wasn't such a huge deal. The drinking age was 18 so we could easily get an older kid to get us liquor and beer.

I stopped every time I went out at the 7-11 on the way home and cleaned every bit of teenage kid detritus. Only once did I miss anything, a roach that had slipped under the floor mat; but I found it a while later so I didn't get in trouble.

The hardest thing to do was to clear the smoke out of it. I would drive the last few blocks with all the windows open. Once I got home so late and my Dad has something going on really early and we passed each other in the kitchen. He pulled me aside the next day and asked me to do a better job getting rid of the smoke odor or find a way to get my own car. I still miss him.

[Julia]

Way to go Mom! I would have done the same thing.

[Dan T.]

I'd be fine with the mom selling the car to teach the kid a lesson if I thought that was her only motivation. The car is sold, but I read she is planning on leaving the ad up another week "to continue receiving feedback". Are you kidding me? Sounds to me like the mom wants some attention, not to punish her child.

[Yall]

The closest I get to white trash is conversing with Sean and fb.

And uh fb, I post here to put at least some normal thought on the board for yahoo's like you to piss and moan over.

[Soo]

If the kid is under their insurance policy, they're liable if he screws up. It doesn't matter if it isn't his alcohol. If the police pulled him over, he'd be ticketed for open container at the very least just for having it in his car. Then the parents' insurance skyrockets, because their son was a dumbass.

If he's not under their insurance, then he really needs to find his own place, if he wants to make his own rules.

[Hank]

Yall, your thoughts are perverse, not normal. Your response to just about everything is to hit it or beat it or stomp on it. You've got serious psychological problems and we can all see that. Hopefully, some day you will too, and will seek counseling.

[A.V.]

So many of these situations cause me to give the deer in the headlights stare to those who tell me I'd have been happier if I'd have had kids.

No thanks.

[Phranqlin]

Hopefully she'll put the money from selling the car into an education fund. This kid sounds like he needs it.

[natallica]

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=88231475

[mydogFoster]

Sean, once again you amaze me.

"Character. Noun. A word used by dull under-achievers to describe humans who have learned to knuckle under to society's demands."

Whereas the definition refered to here would have been these:
1. moral or ethical quality
2. qualities of honesty, courage,
3. good repute.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you don't know the real meaning of character.

[elaine]

My mom would've done worse than this woman. My mom would have been holding herself back ,if all she did was sell my car and then tell everyone she could WHY she was selling the car. She would've bought an ad on television and the local newspaper. Probably hired the good year blimp if she thought it would get the message across.

Whether you agree with her actions or not, at least she took that parenting thing somewhat seriously.
No booze in the car can't be that hard a rule to follow, it's not even an unreasonable rule.

[Jack]

My kind of parent!

Sadly, the lessons learned best are not often learned easily.

[nlr]

Agreed Soo.

Also, the article states the parents bought the car, so it would certainly be their option to take it back and resell it.

My insurance agent made it clear to the hubby and I that when the 17 year old stepson turns 18, we need to get him off our auto policy pronto. At 18 he's considered an adult and if he makes a million dollar mistake while driving, especially if he's under the influence of any illegal substance, we're screwed. Big time.

Ahh...Now here's a case of good old fashioned DJ sensibility. LOL

This is a mother who truly loves her child. I bet the car was in her name,hence the legality of selling the car.

Yall, your thoughts are perverse, not normal. Your response to just about everything is to hit it or beat it or stomp on it. You've got serious psychological problems and we can all see that. Hopefully, some day you will too, and will seek counseling.

Posted by: Hank | Jan 9, 2008 11:16:43 AM

No Hank, I'm normal. You and the other SLB's here are the perverse ones, only you are too enthralled in your little mindless whimpering to see the real world and normal folks that you just can't get up to speed with.
Let's see, some of the things I have said to hit, beat or stomp. Child molesters. Rapist. Scum that throws potentially deadly disease carrying feces in the face of others. Thieving thugs that have no respect for other humans. I could go on.

Do we see a pattern here? You damn straight we do! Every time I say hit, beat, or stomp some low life no account that has no use on this earth except causing pain and misery to others, SLB's like you defend them and try to belittle what I say. It is very evident that since you defend scum, you are defending them because you are just useless scum yourself! So in the future when you want to stand on your lowly soapbox, here's a quarter....

[Yall]

Yall, your thoughts are perverse, not normal. Your response to just about everything is to hit it or beat it or stomp on it. You've got serious psychological problems and we can all see that. Hopefully, some day you will too, and will seek counseling.

Posted by: Hank | Jan 9, 2008 11:16:43 AM

No Hank, I'm normal. You and the other SLB's here are the perverse ones, only you are too enthralled in your little mindless whimpering to see the real world and normal folks that you just can't get up to speed with.
Let's see, some of the things I have said to hit, beat or stomp. Child molesters. Rapist. Scum that throws potentially deadly disease carrying feces in the face of others. Thieving thugs that have no respect for other humans. I could go on.

Do we see a pattern here? You damn straight we do! Every time I say hit, beat, or stomp some low life no account that has no use on this earth except causing pain and misery to others, SLB's like you defend them and try to belittle what I say. It is very evident that since you defend scum, you are defending them because you are just useless scum yourself! So in the future when you want to stand on your lowly soapbox, here's a quarter....

[yucca]

My moniker is not staying up. I have to re-write it every time. Anybody know why this would be happening?