LA fire started by boy with matches

AP via Yahoo News ^

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

I took one last look back, and the monster was still going around in a circle looking for sight of me.

What a great story. I can just see the beast coming after you. Who says monsters aren't real. Glad it didn't get you!

[Minutemen]

Ha! Sounds like a “Leave it to Beaver” episode.

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

So if you are talking about a 10 year old, or older, how do you propose locking up all matches and lighters from them.

I don't. But I'm not in favor of issuing every 10 year old a lighter and lighter fluid either. It's not a choice between making implements of fire freely available to every 10 year old or locking them all up in a safe (either the fire implements or the 10 year olds).

There's a big difference between you driving on the ranch and a kid driving in the streets of Manhattan. I was racing motorcycles when I wasn't much older so I'm hardly in favor of keeping kids in a padded room. It just depends on the context.

[weegee]

What harm can kids do?

[weegee]

There also come personal responsibility and owning up to what was done.

[valkyry1]

I guess you might be able to say that it was a monster of my own creation ;-)

[valkyry1]

Well in those cases the kids are being sent to death by their parents and the kid is incognizant of that, the child wants to please their parents.

[Hi Heels]

HAHhahhaa.... You remind me of my brothers. We went to a football game with our rivals. We won, 35-0. On the way out, I was driving the family’s Travelall. All of a sudden they jumped in the back and yelled “drive!” The next morning I heard one of the homecoming floats burst into flames because “someone” was smoking on the platform. Years later I married a man from the rival school. I was laughingly telling the story when he told me that was HIS TRUCK. My brothers were understandably silent.....looking all nonchalant...so innocent.

[ExGeeEye]

But Dingy Harry said it was Gorebal Warning!

[valkyry1]

Oh man that made me laugh so much! That is so poignant!

[ican'tbelieveit]

The original post that I was objecting to was to lock them up. I am not saying hand out the lighter and match; but I am fundamentally opposed to suggesting that we should lock up everything from kids instead of being responsible adults and instilling responsibility into children.

It is our job to train them, teach them, instill values; not protect them from every perceived danger. If you will simply teach them right, wrong, and consequences, you won’t have to worry about every single danger out there because they will apply broader lessons.

[ExGeeEye]

There's a reason young children can't drive cars, not that they don't try it sometimes.

When I was about three, my dad parked the '65 Falcon wagon next to the house so he could load some stuff into or out of the shed. He left the stickshift car in reverse and the keys on the seat.

I got in, put the keys in the ignition and turned 'em. The starter motor was strong enough to push the car backwards into the house.

I do remember I was distraught; I don't remember getting so much as a stern talking-to.

Stuff happens. Buy insurance.

[napscoordinator]

That kid sounds like he’s in BIG trouble.

I wonder what can be done to him. If he is younger than a teenager than there probably not much they can do. I mean would they send him to a juvenile home???

[muggs]

I was going to ask you if you have kids but you will probably tell me about the ten wonderful kids you raised that never did anything wrong, even accidentally.

[21stCenturyFreeThinker]

It is our job to train them, teach them, instill values; not protect them from every perceived danger.

Yeah, I think we agree for the most part. There are some dangers kids need to be protected from, but not near as many as people think. You're right that teaching kids how to make decisions works a lot better than always enforcing your own.

On that note I'm going to call it quits for the evening.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Wow! All I did was set a hay trailer on fire in 1950!

I still didn’t learn till 1956 with a small grass fire.

[muggs]

Stop dumbing down our children, make them functional.

You might not get a second chance to make the kid functional.

You can't leave dangerous objects around and expect that most kids will not be curious.

[Caipirabob]

One child I used to play with around age 7-8 was lighting matches and burned part of their house causing a great deal of damage. I was there but I wasn't playing with matches or anything, if I recall, I wanted to do something else. I wasn't really paying attention other than I finally got him to play something else. I remember my parents asking me about it later, apparently the kid blamed me for the resulting fire. I denied everything calmly and never heard anything else about it. Of course we never saw the family again. To this day I still remember now and then, just like now, and make sure I talk to my mom and let her know I didn't do it and I wasn't lying...LOL!

[Thrownatbirth]

That kid sounds like he’s in BIG trouble

He's responsible for more burnt property than the entire Black Panther Party in the 60's.

[ShadowDancer]

I was going to ask you if you have kids but you will probably tell me about the ten wonderful kids you raised that never did anything wrong, even accidentally.

And they were all homeschooled.