Parents take away Xbox; boy dials 911

There is a view that removing all 15-year-old boys from this earth would not only help global warming but also our cultural horizon.

Supporters of this view will then be heartened to hear the story reported by the Chicago Tribune of a 15-year-old boy who suffered a serious trauma. His parents took away his Xbox.

The boy, a resident of Buffalo Grove, Ill., which sounds like the sort of place where discipline is imparted along traditional lines, decided to express his feelings and exert his identity. He called 911 in order to ask the police whether his parents were, indeed, within their rights to remove his gaming equipment from his sensitive little fingers.

How could any parent take away such a vital component of a child's life?

(Credit: CC Dave B/Flickr)

However, brave as all 15-year-olds are, he appears to have hung up. So the Buffalo Grove police which, on its website, declares that it is "dedicated to making our community a better place to live and work", wandered along to his house.

Where they may have just laughed until their shirts billowed like the kaftans of the late Luciano Pavarotti.

Commander Steve Husak told the Tribune that the officers not only told the little tyke that parents do, indeed, have the right to take away his gadgetry, but that it might be an idea to listen to what they had to say.

It is not recorded why the parents took away the boy's Xbox. Perhaps it was because he's a vastly intelligent youth who will soon be the governor of Illinois.

[captincroc]

Hehehehe. I love it!

[baconstang]

Loser in training.

[Joff77]

If Mom and Dad don't discipline there kids, then one day the police will. Good job parents!!! Its time to put the kids in there place.

[man_w_balls]

Did they use the Taser on him?

[02cfranklin]

I'm still praying to the non existent deity(s) of your choice that Chris doesn't get paid to write these articles.

[mangarel]

It appears that you are reading them, so what's your arguement

[TxTom21]

I can guarantee that you are not smart enough to be the "atheist" you apparently think you are,

[scratchface]

Yeah, this article is pretty lame, not newsworthy, and not even worth discussing. And for all you posters ready to defend Chris's honor--I'm posting because hopefully someone at cnet will read this and maybe they'd like to know they have to set the bar a little higher

[JonathonStriker]

This is pretty funny, and shows there's a problem with our kids. Apparently they are ill informed that they are basically ruled by their parents as the law says they are declared dependents and the responsibility of their parents. And if God's Law were discussed, kids better know their place.

[kirogi]

on my fridge at home in plain sight I have a magnet that I bought during a visit to Alcatraz State prison. <br /> <br />it says: <br /> <br />Rule N° 5: <br /> <br />you are entitled to food, shelter, medical attention, all the rest is considered a privilege. <br /> <br /> <br />when my 14 your old is not content with the decisions whe make, I remember her to go read the N°5 rule.

[kelmon]

That is genius.

[jmasonatcornerstonedotus]

This 15-year old kid in this article is an idiot. However, children are not prisoners, as a ?magnet from Alcatraz? would imply. With attitudes like this, is it any wonder that kids have become even more disconnected from their parents than ever before. Youth today are more educated, more exposed to the world and culture, and more involved with their communities -- The old, "lock them in the closet/seen and not heard" routine doesn't work anymore. Unfortunately knowledge and wisdom don't go hand-in-hand, and while most kids maybe technically smarter than their parents, they?re still children. I think the immediate source problem here is the speed and ease at which technology, information, and access to alternate cultures are available to everyone, and many parents inability to cope with that fact. It has resulted in a generational gap, and most parents don't know how to properly prepare their children for the world today. If parents don't accept they have to leave behind the 20th century stereotypes, and "catch up" with their children?s abilities and learn to evolve with the world around them, we'll just end up with even more emotionally immature, socially unprepared kids (as the one written about in this article).

[Magallanes]

Kids MUST be entitled for education.<br /><br />@jmasonatcornerstonedotus :"Youth today are more educated, more exposed to the world and culture, and more involved with their communities -"<br /><br />ROLFMAO.<br /><br />Sorry but no.

[itchief]

First, kids need to be grounded; certain values and conduct that they were raised with as defined by their parents as acceptable. Second, parents' job is not to entertain their kids. Poor grades, bad attitude and behavior are reasons to remove PRIVILEGES such as TV, internet, games, cell and landline phones and hanging out with friends as a form of discipline. Third and most important, a parent is not a BUDDY but an example, motivator, teacher and disciplinarian when required. My son and I didn't actually become "friends" until he graduated with his MA and joined the "real world". The fact that the "speed and ease at which technology, information, and access to alternate cultures are available" via the internet is precisely why our computers are in common areas of the house where the grandkids can be monitored.

[traxx09]

"Youth today are more educated, more exposed to the world and culture, and more involved with their communities"<br /><br />NO! Kids may be more exposed to the world or the world in which the wish to be exposed, but more educated, I don't think so.<br /><br />During the last election a friend worked with a young man who said he would vote for Obama. When asked why, he had no answer. After stumbling and stuttering he came up with "he's cool." He didn't know the issues and didn't know what he believed about the issues.<br /><br />When a young person was asked why they thought George W. Bush was a bad president their answer amounted to, because they said so on the Daily Show/MTV. Yes, they are exposed to the world and information on the Internet but they go no further to make up their own mind of why something should or shouldn't be this way or that way. They just take someone else's word for it.

[DavidStott]

Excellent, but add "an education".

[shycelticwitch]

@traxx09... is there any particular reason you decided to turn this article into a political debate?

[silkibivi]

Hey, don't laugh. <br />A boy in Canada ran away from home because his parents restricted the amount of time he could spend on games. He left home and after days of a massive search he was eventually found. He died of exposure. These kids are super serious about their games.

[redjet3]

I heard about that kid. He was addicted to the games. Kids should really know when enough is enough. It could get them killed. Calling the police because his videogames were taken away. Seriously come on, grow up.

[ledhead1962]

Totally true and the best reason for making the little princes and princesses aware of the lives of excessive privilege that they live as North Americans. If at teenage years the person is not cognizant that the consequences of their actions will result in a lose of entitlements they will have very poor skills for dealing with the adult world. Unfortunately we are well into a social dynamic that has not taught the parents to curtail their own sense of entitlement so what hope for the children? (See full jails, collapsed economy,energy waste, texting while driving etc etc. ad nauseum) Let the kids have fun but don't mollycoddle them or they will grow up to be just like us.

[adaml223]

That is why, whatever gaming system I own when my child is old enough to play it, will have a time limit, which will shut it down and lock it down after x amount of hours. The 360 already has that feature, and if parents had a clue they could use it. Of course, it also has built in ratings control, so parents can ensure their kids are playing games they approve of, but most parents don't even get the ratings in the first place.

[ddesy]

There's another alternative. Parents can actually watch their kids instead of depending on technology to control them. The television or game system doesn't make a good babysitter.

[thelemurking]

but ddesy, these parents have to work late or two jobs just to attempt to pay the mortgage of the house they can't afford... you know, they gotta keep up those appearances! drive the fancy cars, live in the fancy homes, have a bigger TV than their neighbors... so with all that work and very little time to play, they don't have the time to actually act as parents and watch over their offspring.

[deniceels]

Kids should have fun outside the 'box'. Get some good old sunshine, exercise and better, save some util bills. This article is real funny nevertheless, though it should raise concern in their current level of addiction to gaming.

[bbwah]

He should be sentenced to community service for wasting tax payers money.

[tektaktyks]

its funny

[biffhenerson]

They lost whatever "good parent" points they earned by taking away the Xbox, by the overwhelming evidence of an improperly trained boy. A properly trained boy would not have dialed 911 over such a matter. Obviously the parents journey in the right direction is long one.

[4score20]

I wonder what kind of misbehavior the boy might have committed that inspired his parents to take such drastic measures. I say drastic because, to teenage boys, their video game systems are as vital to them as a '68 Mustang to a classic car enthusiast.

[Crabby_One]

As my 14 yr old son would say, epic fail... <br />Both on the parents and kids part <br />If my son was loosing his X-Box (he has several times) he knows better than to call 911 or any thing stupid like that. We have a good relationship, but he knows the rules and lives by them. If he had called 911, he would get his as* busted. That seems to be something parents are afraid of now-kids calling the cops for discipline being enforced. There are several ways to discipline a child, depending on the age. We explain why it is wrong the 1st time and if they do it again, we punish-either by restrictions or grounding them or if severe enough, with an as* whooping..not to be abusive, but to get the lesson through. Just the threat of that seems to work, sine I haven't had to use that resort but a few, far spaced times... <br />If parents paid attention and explained why kids should't do certain things or why things are bad for them, a lot of children would be better behaved. Parents are just as much at fault as their kids.

[iPodNeutralZach1]

that probably would cure him of his gaming addiction

[OllyNewport]

"There is a view that removing all 15-year-old boys from this earth would not only help global warming but also our cultural horizon."<br /><br />I think this view is closed minded and ignorant. Being 15 myself; and a boy. There are plenty of things that need to be irradiated from this earth... such as.<br /><br />The British Nationalists Party... you may know them as the neo-nazi-holocaust-denying-Nick-Griffin-political-sumbag Party.<br /><br />...or how about, Paris Hilton. <br /><br />Indeed, this fool of a fifteen year old has shown his true stupidity, and it's all hoo-har hillarious... but don't go generalising that all teenagers are inconsiderate, disrespectful and stupid, it's just not cricket.

[RYANthePeaceMan]

im 15 and i say this kid is stupid for calling 911 over your parents taking away your xbox big deal who cares they're your parents they're allowed to and im sure they did it for a good reason this kid should know that his parents are gonna do what they think is right till he is 18 and intill he can take responsbility for himself so i think his parents are right for what they did and calling 911 dang man has he learned anything 911 is for a emergency only not to ask a stupid question over if it's right for your parents to take away your xbox <br />this kid needs to listen to his parents never call 911 unless it's a emergency little kids know that. <br />Good job to his parents they needed to disciplin him

[A41202813]

Kids Today Only Have Rights.<br /><br />The Law Took Away Any Obligations.<br /><br />Then COLUMBINE And OKLAHOMA Comes To Mind.

[XENON_PLASMA]

RE" Crabby_One. Exactly! When I was a kid and I disobyed the parents I either got grounded or got my ass smacked. To all these people who think spanking is wrong, and time outs work. (!?) well look what's going on right now. Kids are kicking the crap out of their parents or threatening to do said behaviour or call the cops for assault if they smack them! and Time outs only reinforce the thinking that they can do whatever they want with no circumstances to their behaviour except going on a time out! I was smacked when I was a kid and I'm currently 32 NO Criminal record, and a law abiding citizen of the country, and no psychological injuries ot speak of! This kid needs a lot of discipline!

[setjeff15081947]

Wrong State! He's definitely a viable candidate for the Governor-Ship of South Carolina ... assuming the precocious, little tyke has enough Geography in his Tweet-Cluttered-Head to know where Argentina is.