Ebay auction: "Bad Children Get No Nintendo DS"

[Maddy McCall]

Item description:

No kidding. Three undeserving boys have crossed the line. Tonight we sat down and showed them what they WILL NOT get for Christmas this year. I'll be taking down the tree tomorrow. (December the 23rd)

Three DS Systems WITH PictoChat AND Metroid.

Three games - Spiderman, Super Mario something, and Asphalt driving game.

THIS IS FOR EVERYTHING.
...
Remember kids - Good things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people.

This is a perfect example of what happens to bad kids.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8156992690&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[slutticus]

1. F*ck that. I'd rather get an ass whooping

Seriously. Talk about scarring your children.

[Maddy McCall]

2. Same thing I was thinking...

And how could ALL THREE be so evil as to not deserve Christmas gifts. Sounds like dad has a problem.

Taking down the tree, too? This guy sounds like an emotionally abusive father.

[HEyHEY]

5. Bah! I bet the kids are especially bratty.

[Atlas Mugged]

12. Taking down the tree

is a hell of a lot better than a typical stunt of my stepmother's: throw the tree, ornaments, lights and all, out the front door for not getting what she wanted. Thankfully, my father finally divorced the monster and I've not spoken to her in 15 years.

[RetroLounge]

3. I'm not surprised they are in Texas too.

Start saving for Therapy now, kids...

RL

[slutticus]

7. Houston no less!

LOL!

[Maddy McCall]

4. According to bid history, they also have a daughter in kiddy pageants

They bought a pageant dress for her and are selling off her baby clothes. Here's the pageant dress and the auction page.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1070&item=8133218492

[NorthernSpy]

30. they expect the girl to wear that thing?

Gee, I wonder what SHE did to piss them off...

[Fridays Child]

6. Must be the kids of that NC minister who kicked the pregnant woman...

...and her kids out of the homeless shelter he runs, three days before Christmas. Yesiree, in Bushworld, this is what qualifies as the tender compassion of our Blessed Savior. The good reverend even had the utter temerity to say he knew that Jesus would have done the same thing.

[sandnsea]

8. I emailed him

My step-son's mother used to do shit like that every Christmas. Ripped open all the presents early one year. Put them all in the garbage another. He's 25 and spending this Christmas in drug rehab.

[Maddy McCall]

9. Thank you for doing that.

I started to do it.

[sandnsea]

10. You just don't do kids that way

His mother is mentally ill, there's half an excuse for her, but the kid is so screwed up. Plus, we've struggled to even have Christmas most years. There's no way these kids could have done anything to deserve having Christmas taken away, and when ALL THREE misbehave in the same way, that's a parenting issue, not a kid issue. I was going to add, "Bush voter I presume?", but decided to not make it political. You just don't do that to kids. :grr:

[tuvor]

11. We can conclude nothing without knowing what the kids did.

[sandnsea]

13. Bullshit

I have 3 kids of my own and a stepson. There is NOTHING the kids could have done to deserve Christmas being taken away. My oldest through gas in a fireplace and accidentally burned the house down 2 weeks before Christmas. Don't tell me about kids.

[democracyindanger]

14. What if they

killed a neighborhood cat?

Mercilessly taunted a homeless person and stole his cup of change?

Beat up a classmate while screaming racial epithets?

Destroyed their sister's favorite toys just because they wanted to?

Just sayin'...

[sandnsea]

15. Taking away Christmas will do what?

Teach them that you can be as big a shithead as they are? Every single thing you listed has positive discipline methods that will actually teach them something. Serving at the animal shelter or homeless shelter. Anger management class. If your kids are doing crap like this, you've got a parenting problem, not a kid problem.

[democracyindanger]

16. Not getting Nintendo

is hardly taking away Christmas.

You're right, there's probably a more constructive way to deal with whatever they did--but maybe not giving them spendy video games is the perfect response to what they did. But without knowing what the kids did, I don't think people have much to judge the parents on.

[sandnsea]

17. They took down the tree!

They did more than take away some gifts. They took EVERYTHING away. All that teaches a kid is that inflicting pain is what you do when you're upset. It's nothing more than a power trip. Like I said, I don't need to know what the kids did to know you don't take away Christmas.

[democracyindanger]

20. Give the kids some credit

Maybe they're all old enough to know that their old man is an idiot.

[tuvor]

22. No need to get all hostile.

I don't understand why you refuse to apply the principles of due process here. You'd make a terrible juror.

You weren't there, so you don't know what happened. I can't put it more plainly than that.

As in all other things, gather as much evidence as possible before judging.

[Rowdyboy]

18. According to the father, the evil, filthy boys did the following...

"...flying single digit fingers in the air, kicking, yelling, and using grammar you would not expect from anyone. If you make your mother cry, you're wrong"

What scumsucking kids! Just imagine-boys kicking, yelling, using bad grammar and flipping each other the middle finger. Sounds like they're totally out of control and need prison, not gentle correction!

<<<I am, of course, being sarcastic>>>>>

The father's justification for making money off the deal? He's gonna use it to buy a new heater for their little church......

[slutticus]

You gotta love those freaky freepers!

:crazy:

[slutticus]

21. Dupe

[sans qualia]

24. That's harsh. I know lots of people who use bad grammar

and they still get Christmas presents.

[auntAgonist]

36. poor kids probably learned everything they know from the father.

[MisterP]

19. whee, passive-aggressiveness!

[Deja Q]

23. I saw the article of the creep who put it on ebay. ebay also removed it!

Right on ebay! :D :D

[derby378]

25. Yep - the eBay sale is history

Just tried peeking at it myself. It's been cancelled.

Maybe dear ol' Dad needs a big cup of hot cocoa after a much-deserved stern lecture on parenting.

[Pithlet]

26. Good!

Asshole parents.

[WritersBlock]

27. It's back up.

I did a search for "bad children" on the E-Bay search field and found it. He said it was the 3rd time he'd posted it. It's item number 8157047854.

[Pithlet]

28. Damn.

If he's a decent person, he will regret this when things calm down. Being mean and nasty to your kids only teaches them to be mean and nasty. If this is how they normally treat their kids, then it's no wonder they behave the way they do.

[Deja Q]

55. It's toast. Have not yet found attempt # 4 yet.

:evilgrin:

[Pithlet]

56. It's still there when I go to it.

It's up past 1700 dollars. I still wonder if this is really the reason, or just a made up story to get the auction attention, and therefore more bids.

[Be Brave]

29. I read the CNN article.

Sounds like the Dad acted reasonably. He and his wife sat the kids down and gave them another chance to be responsible. Didn't work, then one son double-dared the Dad. I'm with the Dad for being firm. Gee, not getting a Nintendo system. There are much, much worse things in life!

[Zomby Woof]

31. Yes but...

On DU, children are perfect and can do no wrong. Coddling is the norm. Don't even REMOTELY say a child can be bad in any way or you will be flamed. Kids are angels! They are wonderful little people and God's gift to the world. You will hurt their self-esteem if you are firm with them or punish them in any form. The kids are in charge of the house, not the parents.

The main problem with kids is most are spoiled by lazy, weak, pansy-ass, indecisive, coddling parents.

[Pithlet]

32. Kids aren't angels

But parents aren't, either. Parents aren't perfect beings who never make mistakes or do the wrong thing.

[Zomby Woof]

38. I agree

My post pretty much slams them too. They are often worse.

[sonicx]

33. The dad should have sold the items without telling the story...

Just sell the shit and be done with it. No need to egg the kids in the ebay posting.

I don't really blame him for selling the stuff, but why is this fool being interviewed by newspapers? A parent taking toys away is news?

[auntAgonist]

37. sonicx I'm with you on that ... Family matters like this

need to be dealt with in private. I remember buying U2 tickets once for my son, he was warned numerous times about behaviour. I warned him we wouldn't go to the concert and the tickets would be sold if A B and C were not met. I sold the tickets. No need for explanations on a public venue. My son was 13 at the time.
I seriously wonder what this parent(s) hoped to accomplish.

[Pithlet]

42. I agree.

I'm replying because I don't want others to misunderstand me. I'm not against punishing bad behavior, or for coddling children and showering them with undeserved gifts. I'm afraid my disgust at the parent's behavior that I expressed elsewhere in this thread will be mistaken as such. I do think that kids need to know there are boundaries, and that there are consequences for their behavior.

[Zomby Woof]

40. The ebay guy is an asshole

I am not defending him. I just like to fire off a stink bomb and watch how easy it is to press buttons. It's almost TOO easy.

My comment about kids really has nothing to do with the ebay story. It was just a general observation about the knee-jerk kid-defenders on DU.

[Pithlet]

43. You know my buttons too well.

Damn you. :P

[Zomby Woof]

47. lol

The irony being you were NOT who I had in mind. I can tell from the things you have posted the past few years you are a GOOD parent, and I would probably like your kids. I actually do like most kids. The ones in my play were quite the troopers - smart, funny, and engaging. The only thing that bothered me about them is I envied their energy (I was quoted in the paper with that one, lol).

Being a misanthrope and a liberal is a difficult balancing act, and I teeter with the best of them. ;-)

:hi: Hope you and your family are having a great holiday!

[Pithlet]

49. Same to you.

I knew you weren't referring to me. I just like to push buttons, too. :)

[Zomby Woof]

50. Yeah, but you never make me mad

So you need to try harder. ;-)

By the way, how are finding time to post? Are the kids napping? Or playing with their new goodies? :D

[Pithlet]

51. Playing with goodies.

No napping in this house today.

Thanks for the compliments, by the way :)

[auntAgonist]

52. I don't consider myself a knee jerk kid defender..

Having raised my own children and foster children long term, I know children aren't perfect. Children aren't bad, children do bad things, yes... in this case it sounds to me like the lack of discipline on behalf of the parents has carried over to the kids. You can't discipline others if you have NO discipline yourself. Ineffective parenting ..results in children who grow up to be ineffective parents themselves. Kids don't come with a manual, parenting is a tough job. This family needs help. Not public humiliation.

[Zomby Woof]

54. again

1. It wasn't about you.

2. I think the ebay guy is a loser asshole more than any of you think so.

3. The real targets of my shots will be too clueless to know it is about them.

Relax. It is just a message board, after all.

[auntAgonist]

57. I'm relaxed :) I didn't think it was about me ..

After all , I'm new here and most don't know a thing about me. The guy IS an asshole. We agree !

[Zomby Woof]

60. I've been here forever

And believe me, even after this long, very very few know anything about me. Lots of slower people "buy" into my crafted persona. :D

[SmokingJacket]

64. Making a big public display of "discipline" is creepy.

Fine, if your kids act like turkeys, don't give them the crap. I wouldn't buy that crap for my kids in the first place.

But making a big public deal out of it and rubbing their noses in their punishment is just gross, with a side of sadistic. It's about showing everyone what a Big Tough Dad he is, and not about making any real changes in his kids' behavior.

It's the kind of childish display of power that makes a kid realize their dad is a pathetic creep.

[NorthernSpy]

34. well, they get points for not smacking the kids

What I dislike is making the whole episode public. This was a private matter.

Personally, I really don't see cancelling the holiday. Life kinda loses its shape without such occasions. Allowing the boys' actions to affect the entire family's schedule just gives the bratty ones more power than they should have. Celebrate as usual and expect proper behavior from everyone.

As for the gifts, no need to sell them. Why not keep them in reserve until the kids have mended their ways enough to deserve a little indulgence?

[Pithlet]

35. Because that isn't mean and nasty enough.

If you don't treat your kids like shit, you're spoiling them. That right wing authoritarian crap seems to be making a comeback.

[NorthernSpy]

41. I really worry about the lack of sympathy between parents and children

Of course, parents have to show their kids how to be decent human beings, or the kids are going to have profoundly unhappy lives.

But overt discipline is only part of the picture. What really shocks me is the utter lack of cooperation and sympathy among family members. In situations like that, something very basic has gone wrong, and simply showing the kids who's boss won't necessarily change much.

[Pithlet]

44. Parenting is tough

And it's easy for any parent to cross the line out of sheer exasperation. I don't fault anyone for that. It's the deliberate, methodical and very public way the parent is doing this. A few days have passed, and they haven't seemed to calm down, and the situation hasn't cooled off. I think this went beyond the usual blow up. There are probably some issues in this family.

[auntAgonist]

45. Parenting IS tough, BUT, who are the adults ???

This family, by the sound of what's going on, needs some help. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that some social service agency steps in. I think their behaviour (parents) is off the wall and uncalled for. There are ways to discipline your children. Physical abuse and mental abuse are not on the list. Publicly humiliating your family isn't on that list either. It doesn't sound like this father or mother has any control at all. Therein lies the problem. The adults NEED the discipline in order to discipline the children properly.

[Pithlet]

48. I agree 100%

I think they do need some help. The guy is just being an asshole, not a parent.

[regnaD kciN]

61. An asshole indeed. Here's the e-mail I sent them...

It's one thing to discipline your kids by not giving them Christmas gifts (although I think that's way over the line, too). It's quite another to sit them down and show them in detail what they WOULD have had, "but now it's too late!" That's just cruel.

I wonder what you think will happen next year, and in the years to come? You probably think that December 2005 will find a trio of chastened, newly-obedient boys who will behave perfectly. In reality, what you likely will get are kids who associate Christmas with turmoil, misery, and having things suddenly taken away from them, and who never enjoy it (or spending it with their family) quite the same again.

And it wouldn't surprise me, a couple of decades from now, to find you as "empty-nest" parents (and, eventually, just one of you by yourself) living alone and wanting to have your sons near you at Christmas, but find that the kids want nothing to do with you, then or at any other time.

[sbj405]

39. Obviously, this guy just wants attention, why not just return the items?

I suspect this family is messed up in many ways. Hopefully, their 15 minutes of fame will lead them to seek help for their family problems.

[Pithlet]

53. I wonder if this is even true.

There have been a few ebay auctions with "stories" behind them that got a lot of publicity. Like that guy who sold his ex's wedding dress. He got an appearance on the Today show, and planned to profit from the attention.

[sbj405]

58. Yeah. zero feedback and he's changed his username w/in the last 30 days.

The listing is no longer available.

[Pithlet]

59. I wonder if we're looking at the same thing

The auction is still up when I go to the link, and the guy has 100% positive feedback. I'm still suspicious about how authentic this is. The guy is trying to sell the same item that hundreds of others are. This would be a great way to make it stand out, because people will be doing exactly what we are; passing the link around and talking about it. It's brilliant, if deceptive.

[sbj405]

Oh yeah found it.

As for the user name, I copy and pasted from a cnn article. Seems someone else has changed theirs to be similar.

[Pithlet]

63. He reposted it.

It's a different number. Search for item number 8157047854. He claims it was taken down by Ebay because someone else spoofed it, and he included the name of Ebayer that did that, thus violating the rules.

[sbj405]

62. dupe

[auntAgonist]

46. Who are the ADULTS in that house?

This family, by the sound of what's going on, needs some help. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that some social service agency steps in. I think their behaviour (parents) is off the wall and uncalled for. There are ways to discipline your children. Physical abuse and mental abuse are not on the list. Publicly humiliating your family isn't on that list either. It doesn't sound like this father or mother has any control at all. Therein lies the problem. The adults NEED the discipline in order to discipline the children properly.