A Hard Lesson Learned

When you were a kid, did you do something horrible without realizing that it would happen? And when you got punished for it, did you feel a kind of injustice like wondering why you're being punished for your own naivete? Such is the case with these two boys. You can read the story for yourself, but I'll summarize it for you:

While playing in the bathtub with their Beyblade toys, they accidentally scratched the enamel on the tub so terribly that it broke off in large chunks. With repairs totaling $500, the parents saw fit not only to punish them by draining their savings, but also by selling their entire Beyblade collection on Ebay.

When I first read this article, all I could focus on was the older brother's sobbing face in that picture. I guess I'm empathizing a little too much with the children, but it's terrifying when you know you've gotten into more trouble than you can handle. A few of the comments for the article expressed this same sympathy, even detailing personal experiences. I remember one such experience; not so much as damaging personal property but certainly injuring someone else. Maybe I'll talk about it sometime.

But herein lies the question that I had pondered and continue to pick apart even now: Does this punishment fit the crime? More specifically, is the punishment inflicted appropriate or is it too extreme considering the naivete of the children involved?

I feel that the punishment is appropriate and invaluable. Actions in life have consequences, no matter what you know about the circumstances. The lesson learned isn't necessarily fair, but then again neither is life. And I'd rather my children know that they will have to take responsibility for their actions instead of simply removing privileges for a week and going on as though nothing had happened.

That's a little bit too much thinking for an event that, as one of my friends put it, "they won't even remember in 10 years."