As you know by my earlier post, we went to court on Monday
with a teen that is close to my heart.
We were waiting to hear what his consequence would be. If he completes it – then his case will be
dismissed.8 hours of community service. Apparently, that is the going punishment for shoplifting a beer. Good to know, I guess.
My first reaction was – that’s not enough! My second was relief that the teen getting
the sentence received something manageable.
Will 8 hours have enough impact to prevent future incidents? I don’t know.
Judging from the 210 people in court on Monday, it'll be about conscience not consequence that prevents future events.
I find disciplining young adults to be the hardest obstacle I’ve
encountered as a parent. They hit 18 and
decide you have no authority – even if they still need to depend on your
pocketbook. You can’t ground them, you
can’t sit them in a corner, there’s not much you can take away. Do you just stop helping them financially alltogether?
How does a parent guide young adults when the only
consequence you can offer it to take away your support?
I think this could be a warning of another serious problem, such as substance abuse. Along with his criminal consequence, he should receive some sort of counselling, to determine if he may have a drinking problem.
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