Naughty boy gets rewarded

[kenny]

In Australia a four year old boy reached up in vending machine trying to steal toy but his arm got stuck. BUSTED!
The fire department, paramedics and police were called.
It took an hour to cut open the machine with a hack saw to extract the boy's arm.

The kid is okay but since he was upset so they gave the boy the toy he was trying to steal.

While I understand the boy went through a stressful ordeal, it WAS his own fault, and he WAS stealing.
I think giving him the toy was a terrible mistake.
It teaches that boy and millions of kids around the world that stealing, causing a scene, all that taxpayer money spent for paramedics, a fire truck, police, a damaged vending machine someone has to pay for, worldwide news coverage is all just a heart-warming Norman Rockwell moment.

His family will probably get a reality show contract.
Plus, with all the kids worldwide watching this media story I'll bet there will be "copy cat crimes".

I think the kid should have not been rewarded with a tour of a fire truck, "praised for his bravery", and given the toy (free) he was trying to steal.
Plus, I think the parent should be sued to recover all the costs which must run in the thousands of dollars.
Granted, at least mom said to him, "Next time we get some money and we pay for it."

So do you think I'm being too harsh?

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2...6/pkg-aus-boy-arm-vending-machine.network-ten

 

[justginger]

No, when DH and I saw this on The Project a night or two ago we just looked at each other. Really? The kid tried to steal something, got busted, and should have had to suffer the consequences without reward. It was a perfect lesson in the making, but instead was turned into a circus act with a very wrong ending.

Edited to add: can't believe out of ALL of the news stories that happen here in Oz, this is the one CNN picks up.

 

[kenny]

I remember when I was around that boys age I got caught stealing candy at the drug store.
The manager grabbed my arm and took me to his office.
They made an announcement on the PA that a boy of my description was being held and to contact the manager.
I was petrified.

My parents came and got me and when we got home let's just say my derriere was taught a very effective lesson with a hairbrush.
That ended my life of crime.

 

[kenny]

Maybe Australia's history has something to do with how this incident was was all handled, presented, and perceived . . .

Wikisnip:
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government.
One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities.
Over the 80 years more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.[1]

 

[mary poppins]

I don't know. He's pretty young. Toys are tempting. Maybe he didn't understand the concept of a vending machine or purchases yet.

 

[kenny]

I don't know. He's pretty young. Toys are tempting. Maybe he didn't understand the concept of a vending machine or purchases yet.

Yeah, I guess that's possible.
I myself confessed that at a similar age I did what today I understand to be stealing.

Here's a question for parents of kids who are four or older: might four be too young to understand "stealing"?
I'd love to hear several responses to this.

 

[Lottie]

I don't know. He's pretty young. Toys are tempting. Maybe he didn't understand the concept of a vending machine or purchases yet.

Yeah, I guess that's possible.
I myself confessed that at a similar age I did what today I understand to be stealing.

Here's a question for parents of kids who are four or older: might four be too young to understand "stealing"?
I'd love to hear several responses to this.

I have a four year old. This has come up before, I explained to her that stealing is wrong and something we never ever do. She knows that if she takes something, I will take her back to the shop, she will have to give it back and apologise and she will then go to bed at the same time as her younger brother (the ultimate humiliation for a four year old ).

However, when we are in shops she does sometimes pick up certain things and bring them over to ask if she can have them. I can see that the little boy may not have thought that getting something out of a vending machine - possibly with the thought that he would take it over to a parent to ask if he can have it is the same thing as stealing. Maybe he just wanted a closer look. Four year olds are not known for their forward thinking.

I don't however think he should have been given the toy at the end. I don't think he needed any further punishment - it must have been a frightening experience being stuck in there for an hour so thats punishment enough, the trip to the fire station I am also fine with. But not being given the toy.

 

[Lottie]

In Australia a four year old boy reached up in vending machine trying to steal toy but his arm got stuck. BUSTED!
The fire department, paramedics and police were called.
It took an hour to cut open the machine with a hack saw to extract the boy's arm.

The kid is okay but since he was upset so they gave the boy the toy he was trying to steal.

While I understand the boy went through a stressful ordeal, it WAS his own fault, and he WAS stealing.
I think giving him the toy was a terrible mistake.
It teaches that boy and millions of kids around the world that stealing, causing a scene, all that taxpayer money spent for paramedics, a fire truck, police, a damaged vending machine someone has to pay for, worldwide news coverage is all just a heart-warming Norman Rockwell moment.

His family will probably get a reality show contract.
Plus, with all the kids worldwide watching this media story I'll bet there will be "copy cat crimes".
I think the kid should have not been rewarded with a tour of a fire truck, "praised for his bravery", and given the toy (free) he was trying to steal.
Plus, I think the parent should be sued to recover all the costs which must run in the thousands of dollars.
Granted, at least mom said to him, "Next time we get some money and we pay for it."

So do you think I'm being too harsh?

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2...6/pkg-aus-boy-arm-vending-machine.network-ten

Kenny most four year olds I know don't watch the news - firstly 99% of the content is too adult for them and secondly its not being read by Peppa Pig.

 

[lyra]

My parents came and got me and when we got home let's just say my derriere was taught a very effective lesson with a hairbrush.
That ended my life of crime.

This would have been the punishment in my family growing up too. It was enough of a deterrent to keep one on the straight and narrow, and it was pretty much universal with other kid's families too way back when. I'm pretty sure my kids would never praise their kids like that (if they had kids that is). I wouldn't let them! Spanking may be out nowadays, but there are other ways of teaching a kid right from wrong. Bravery? Bah humbug!

 

[Enerchi]

Foolish to reward bad behavior, in my mind. Even if the child didn't realize it was stealing, the parents did. As did all the first responders. Not something I'd reward any of my kids with a treat afterwards!

 

[Maisie]

I don't think for a minute that this little kid sat and planned to rob the machine. He probably saw an opportunity and in his limited understanding didn't think it would be such a bad idea. He is only 4!

 

[Pandora II]

WTH, He is 4 years old - not 8 or 10!

Most likely he wasn't trying to steal - just to work out how the vending machine worked. 4 years is the age where the idea of yours and mine might begin to sink in.

The nursery my DD goes to is endlessly being given bags of loot by parents that their dear offspring have pilfered during the week - I have a bag to return on Tuesday myself. DD isn't yet 3 and while she is extremely bright she does not get why she can't 'borrow' things from nursery! The nursery advised that they tackle it with the kids when they are around 4 - just before they go on to school

 

[Haven]

My guess is that he is a bit too young to really understand that reaching up into a vending machine and pulling something out equals stealing.

This reminds me of something my sister did in kindergarten: She and a friend snuck out of the nap room together, found a plate of blueberry muffins prepared for that day's snack, and stuck their fingers into the middle of each and every one. When my mom went to pick her up at the end of the day, her very angry teacher tried to shove the plate of ruined muffins into my mom's arms. My mom had two questions: 1) Why are you trying to reward her behavior with muffins? and 2) How is it that there wasn't an adult around to see that my kid was sneaking around all over the place and poking muffins????

 

[Tacori E-ring]

4 year old brains do not understand law and order. They logically do not understand what stealing is. I am sure the whole experience was terrifying. I doubt he would ever try that again.

 

[GlamMosher]

Maybe Australia's history has something to do with how this incident was was all handled, presented, and perceived . . .

Wikisnip:
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government.
One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities.
Over the 80 years more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.[1]

Most Aussies are very proud of their convict heritage and anyone researching their family history hopes they find at least one convict! It is like a stamp of honour that we were here when it all began. Most were for very minor crimes, and some committed a crime so that they would be transported!

I agree about this kid, and said much the same each time it was shown on the news here with the newsreader chirping it out as a cute story. OK, don't crucify the kid over it, but don't reward him either.

 

[marymm]

Yeah, 4 years old is still darn young - and even if he sorta understood he was trying to take something that did not belong to him, the poor kid was stuck for an hour - that is a very long time to be stuck in one position for any one, let alone a child. While I wouldn't have given him the toy, if he behaved well while he was stuck I would definitely have praised him for his bravery - how he behaved while being stuck is separate and distinct from whether or not he understood he was trying to steal the toy from the vending machine.

 

[justginger]

Perhaps it depends on the individual child, but I have a 4 yo nephew who clearly understands that vending machines are games that require money. Maybe this one hasn't been around them before? Regardless, no matter if his intentions were take or look, giving him the toy was a poor choice. To reward his good behavior during the ordeal, a separate reward should have been issued - like stopping for ice cream, or the trip to the fire station.

IMO the convict history of Australia is overhyped and has little to no influence on the current culture. It is a far safer, less violent, and more secure country than a great majority that were founded by explorers simply hoping to plunder the natives for their wealth. This was just the "aww" story of the day, no more, no less.

 

[GlamMosher]

IMO the convict history of Australia is overhyped and has little to no influence on the current culture. It is a far safer, less violent, and more secure country than a great majority that were founded by explorers simply hoping to plunder the natives for their wealth.

Oh totally justginger!

 

[lknvrb4]

I do not think he understood what he was doing, but I would not have given him the toy.

 

[Snow_Miser]

The boy may not have understood the specific concept of stealing, but I definitely think he is old enough to understand the general difference between doing something that is right and doing something that is wrong. And I think mostly likely he understood that if you have to maneuver your body in weird ways to get something, you are probably not supposed to have access to it or be able to get it.


As someone pointed out with the blueberry muffin story, where were the adults who were supposed to be watching over him? I'll get some backlash for this, but come on, if his parents or whoever had been keeping a close eye on him, this probably wouldn't have happened. A big pet peeve of mine is unsupervised children running amuck is public places.