Posted on 01/09/2008 5:29:40 AM PST by Mr. Brightside
Mom sells rule-breaking son's car
Wed Jan 9, 1:18 AM ET
DES MOINES, Iowa - Jane Hambleton has dubbed herself the "meanest mom on the planet."
After finding alcohol in her son's car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old's misdeed with everyone — by placing an ad in the local newspaper.
The ad reads: "OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."
Hambleton has heard from people besides interested buyers since recently placing the ad in The Des Moines Register.
The 48-year-old from Fort Dodge says she has fielded more than 70 telephone calls from emergency room technicians, nurses, school counselors and even a Georgia man who wanted to congratulate her.
"The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I'm telling people what happened here," Hambleton says. "I'm not just gonna put the car for resale when there's nothing wrong with it, except the driver made a dumb decision.
"It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent.' So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady.'"
The only critic is her son, who Hambleton says is "very, very unhappy" with the ad and claims the alcohol was left by a passenger.
Hambleton believes her son but has decided mercy isn't the best policy in this case. She says she set two rules when she bought the car at Thanksgiving: No booze, and always keep it locked.
The car has been sold, but Hambleton says she will continue the ad for another week — just for the feedback.
Good for her. (We are getting a car this week for my son.)
We also check his email and text messages.
Aren’t we bad.
Good job mom!
I did that with my son....without the newspaper ad...I was so pi$$ed I took it down and wholesaled it...lost about thousand bucks....but it was money well spent in the long run.
I think I tried that excuse with my dad once. His reply: "You can't snow the snowman." I didn't really get it, but my boys have heard that line more than once now.
This country needs more parents just like this.
I am a bad parent too. My son knows as long as I am paying his bills...its my rules.
When he pays his own including rent on his own place...he can make the rules.
Where’s Child Protective Services to save this child from such abuse?
I hope the little squirt comes to realize what a fine parent he has in his mom.
What's not to get?.....Your dad was telling you that he had done everything you were doing and had tried all the angles on his dad and they didn't work for him either.......
Good for you, and good for her.
Just a quibble with the journalism: It’s not “her son’s car.” The mother bought it, and it is her car. I regularly tell my 16-year-old daughter that the Purple Thing is not “her car.” It is her Dad’s car!
My five year old son calls us “the meanest parents ever” sometimes. I keep telling him that flattery won’t change us...
Let’s just cut to ther chase and send the SWAT team.The poor boy’s been emotionally damaged-what else can we do?
Damn teenagers!!! Constantly testing their boundries. It gets tiring.
My buddy's kid just had a DUI crash. Lost control, was going too fast, took out big 300 lb chunks of curb and hit a tree, which folded the top back down on the driver's position.
Thank God the seat back mechanism failed and the seat reclined. God gave him his son back.
This kid is 19. He needs to find a job and buy his own car.
Does she realize the message she is conveying?
That there are CONSEQUENCES for your actions!!!
She has taken it upon herself to determine what is “right” and what is “wrong”!!!
Is this allowed in today’s culture???
A version of “don’t try to bs a bs’er” :)
I love it! That’s something my mom would’ve done as well.
Sounds more like she is a “Mom” and not a “Best Friend”.
Too many parents are trying to be pals instead of parents. Good job mom!
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