As a parental unit, it is in my DNA to FLIP OUT when I hear about another parent’s poor parenting judgement. Because I NEVER make mistakes in parenting. I’m perfekt, right? Okay. So I’m not. But I have some common sense which is more than can be said for a certain set of Utah parents.  

Remember the 7 year-old Utah Boy who stole his parents’ car and led police on a chase, blowing through stop lights and stop signs and almost plowing down a pedestrian — all because he didn’t want to go to church?

Guess how they decided to punish him? Why, by taking him on an all expenses paid trip to New York City to appear on THE TODAY SHOW. There, they talked with Meredith Viera about how funny the police video was and how what their kid did could happen to anybody.

Oh yeah, and they cut off his TV and video games and grounded him for four days.

Four Days?! Are you freakin’ kidding me? Four days for STEALING A CAR? Four days for almost killing himself and other people?

And saying it’s funny? In front of their kid?  What kind of message does that send to him and to other kids who are watching?

IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYBODY?!  I don’t know about you, but my 7 year-old would never in a million years consider taking our car for a joyride. It makes you wonder what this kid’s influences are. Is he playing Grand Theft Auto every day at home?!

And where were his parents when he stole the car? Why weren’t they watching him? How did he even get the car keys? Where is the supervision here? Okay. It’s hard to watch our kids every minute. And you really don’t expect your 7 year-old to steal your car, so you might feel free to leave the keys lying around. I’ll give the parents that.

But once the kid has done it… Where is the responsibility? Where are the repercussions? Oh, right. No TV or video games for four days. That’ll show him!

Oh well, boys will be boys, right? Want to hear about some other boys who were just being boys?

Last year in the Los Angeles area, three young boys took their parents car for a joy ride. It resulted in a police chase, a crash and the deaths of all the boys.

In Baltimore a group of boys took a car for a joy ride and killed two women in another car  when they headed the wrong way in a tunnel.

There are dozens more stories like this. Google it and see.

Oh well, I guess it’s funny. Until someone gets hurt.