CNN reports that Jane Hambleton of Fort Dodge Iowa discovered booze stashed under the driver’s seat of her 19-year-old son’s car. Hambleton immediately placed this for-sale ad in a local newspaper: “OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.” Prospective used-car buyers aside, Hambleton says she’s received more than 70 phone calls from the likes of emergency room technicians, nurses and even school counselors who phoned in to congratulate her for being a “responsible parent.” The hapless teenager– who claims the alcohol was left in his car by a passenger– is "very, very unhappy." While the car has been sold, Hambleton is letting the ad run an extra week. Common sense from the nation’s heartland.
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Clone that woman! We need a few million more like her.
Exactly my plan with my teenage daughters. Drink drive and it’s gone. And no second chances. Period.
This is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the world, ever, besides the invention of hyperbole. Underage drinking is always written off as a “silly kids” type of offense, but I think it’s high time people start paying attention and actually punishing their kids so they realize some of their actions actually have *gasp!* consequences. The punishment for an underage DUI is still ridiculously lenient, I think the snotnoses that think they can drink and drive at any age, but especially under 21, need some jail time or something more than a suspended license. I know that was off topic as the kid wasn’t proven to be drinking and driving but whatever. I’m not often delighted by what I read in the news, but when I came across this little gem I nearly whooped aloud.
Smart – really like how she went about it with humor. My dad drew up a contract with me when I turned 16 and went to the parties that had booze. The contract noted that if I did have more than one drink (either voluntarily or through peer pressure) I could call home at any hour and ask to either be picked up or stay the night. They could not punish me for it. Unfortunately I used it all too often and evoked a clause that if I used it more than 3 times in a month I would loose privileges to the car and attendance to said parties.
“May 13, 2048
Dear 60 Minutes,
I have been wondering if you could tell me about any reports of horrible nursing homes in my area. You see, it is time to put my mother in one and I want to make sure we place her in the one that’s best for her…”
Since she bought the car, if she didn’t transfer title I guess she has the right to sell it. But perhaps she could have, you know, TALKED to him, since technically at 19 the law, at least, considers him an adult, granted not enough of one to buy handguns or alcohol, just enough of one to vote, be tried as an adult, join the military, etc.
But then I’m not a parent, and I hope to God never to be one.
I heard from another news source that the kid had agreed to “no alcohol before driving or in car” before the car was purchased. The mother (correctly) stated that even if it’s true (doubtful) it’s his fault for either allowing it in the car or leaving it unlocked.
My sister did the same thing in high school (11th grade) and got away with it by claiming it wasn’t hers. She had put it in the trunk to hide it, Dad found it the next morning. She claimed that they were hanging out in a parking lot (true) and someone else had it and the saw cops so they stuck it in her trunk quickly so the cops wouldn’t see it. They fell for it.
If the government isn’t coming down hard on drunken driving, at least some parents are in the limited time that they have the ability to. On a dark highway near the Colorado-Wyoming line, Clinton Haskins killed eight of the University of Wyoming’s cross-country runners in September of 2001 and was convicted of vehicular homicide. Today he is on Wyoming’s honor farm and often gets to leave the farm to give talks about drunk driving. He even gets to leave his jumpsuit behind when he makes his talks. Lots of folks aren’t too happy about this, as they shouldn’t be.
I applaud her decision to sell the car. The decision to use her son as the means of getting her fifteen minutes of fame and then running the ad another week for more “feedback”? Not so much.
NeonCat,
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.
Nice move by Mom.
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.
Amen.
There. Now doesn’t that seem a much better solution than destroying the car?
@ Landcrusher
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.
That’ll build a great relationship with the guy. He’s 19, so it seems a little late with the life lessons.
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.
At 19, shouldn’t this kid be off in college or something?
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?
Taking the car away from the kid and selling it was good and appropriate. However, the advertisement for the car had way too much information, exploited the situation, and was tacky.
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.
Finally, a parent taking responsibility for their kids and doing something about it. Most parents are afraid of thier kids…she stepped up.
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.
I’ll have to agree with NeonCat and play the Devil’s advocate. If you’re old enough to vote (or more likely not vote considering young turnout), join the army, and be sentenced as an adult when you’re 18, you should be old enough to drink. There were no empty containers in the car, he was probably saving it for one of those “happy times” that most of us had when we were 19.
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.
I think if one of the punishments for DUI was forfeiture of the vehicle then there would be a lot less drunk driving. Encode laws in bankruptcy that disallow debt from forfeited cars from being forgiven.
To all of you saying that the mom was in the wrong, let me explain something to you. Her house, her rules, and it sounds like her car too.
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.
I must have skipped over a lot of comments without realizing it. I thought we all pretty much agreed that mom had the right to sell the car.
Good for mom.The kid broke the rules, now pay the price.I’m with Kazoomaloo here,consequences?
What a concept.
It was NOT wrong for the mom to sell the car.
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.
Why are people more concerned with the kid’s feelings than the mother’s when her son could 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). If everyone’s parents were like her we wouldn’t have a lot of the silly problems we face today.
danms6: Why are people more concerned with the kid’s feelings than the mother’s when her son could be out driving around drunk?
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.
I don’t approve of drunk driving and Junior certainly shouldn’t be toting booze underneath the passenger seat.
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.)
I’d have less problems with this if the kid was 16 or 17. But as someone pointed out – he can vote, fight for our country, or even become a police officer in some jurisdictions.
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…
From the wording of the ad, it sounds like the mom even made the teen write the copy! That’s what it looks like to me anyway.
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).
Il faut laver son linge sale en famille.
Strippo: Il faut laver son linge sale en famille.
“Don’t air your dirty laundry in public.”
Public Shame is an incredibly powerful tool that is under used in this country. We need to bring it back.
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.