Police wake-up call
8 a.m. this morning, the doorbell rings. I thought maybe it was my brother because he's an early bird like that. No such luck. It was a police officer here to question my son about graffiti.
He has been lectured so many times about not damaging other people's property and keeping it on paper. He's been punished over and over, but I just can't get through to him. He thinks he's getting "rep". Well, come on, we live in Maine for Pete's sake. There is no rep to get in Maine. Besides punishing him, I've also bought him some trucker hats to paint on so he can start his own business. He's been working on his own Cafe Press store too.
That will have to wait though. He's going to get a summons for his graffiti. He was summonsed last month for the same thing.
Side Note: Did you know that when teenagers under 18 get in trouble (at least in Maine), they don't get arrested? They're just handed a piece of paper with a court date on it and then a couple weeks later the juvenile corrections worker calls and sets up an appointment to figure out what to do: Pay a fine, pay restitution, or do community service. If it isn't too serious, they don't even have to go to the court date before the judge. What is this teaching anyone? I want my son booked, damn it. I want them to take his fingerprints, get a mug shot of him, and throw him behind bars for a day or two. Now THAT would teach him a lesson.
I've been volunteering with him at a local food pantry as he works off his community service. I'm happy he is being of service to someone, but it isn't teaching him a damn thing, obviously. He couldn't even work an hour without complaining.
I don't want this to reflect poorly on my family either. We're not like that. Heck, we don't even speed, let alone break the law. I am so angry that he thinks it's okay to deface property.
It's so sad. He is really a talented artist, but he's just throwing his life away right now. Hopefully something will happen soon
Sometimes I don't like being a parent.
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