Replies

No doubt. Raising kids is nothing like I ever thought it would be. They're little people with their own personalities. You can raise all of your kids exactly alike and each one will turn out differently, and sometimes "different" might mean that one or more of your kids turns out to be rotten as hell and completely uncontrollable.

Not that any of mine are rotten, but I certainly have one headstrong one that is a whole lot harder to deal with than the others. I'd be lying if I said it was within my power to actually "control" her to any meaningful degree. Sometimes kids can just be headstrong and defiant or even downright evil through absolutely no fault of their parents.

We force parents in our state to pay restitution on behalf of their children. It's probably a good thing to do in most instances, but there should be some limit to how much you can hold someone accountable for the acts of another even if that other is the minor child of the one we are holding accountable.