12-Year-Old Quebec Girl Sues Dad for Grounding Her…and Wins

Thank you for your comment. It’s been several years now and the hurt and pain have been assimilated and accepted. I do feel for anyone whose child puts them through that kind of mental torture though.

Strangely enough some of his friends are now parents and they are doing everything they can to be good parents and to not let their children become “masters of the roost”. They are now finding out how much the school system tries to undermine their authority. So in many ways I hold out hope for the country’s future.

You don’t know how sad that really makes me. In court, even though at times I tend to be cynical I try to bury that and look objectively at the kid at the bench. Many times, truth be known, the caring, concerned, hearts-in-their-throat parents are in the courtroom also and come to the bench beside their wayward son or daughter, hurting, confused, exasperated beyond comprehension. You can tell the anguish of caring parents who have tried everything possible (I’ve been there, done that too).

My judge allows me to speak with these kids, not in front of the court but after their punishment has been assessed) and so what I try to do is reinforce what I believe to be the parent’s efforts.

I am seeing an increasing number (not the ones with parents) of “throw away” kids come before the court, wards of the “state”, bootcamp, etc. I also have known some counselors who spend mega-time with these kids trying to have some sort of impact on them, not in the liberal “warm and fuzzy” way but with both feet firmly planted, grounded in common sense. I have seen counselors of these “throw away” kids literally in tears (yes, men too—maybe moreso), frustrated and anguished over all their efforts apparently going for naught.

Oh Lord, please forgive me, my former response was made during a moment of cynicism which occurred after yesterday when I had to handcuff a tiny 13 yr. old boy in court (judge’s orders) until he settled down. Everyone was reaching out to him and he didn’t seem to give a hoot.

May God bless and comfort you but in another way, you’ve bolstered me up and so will keep trying again, and again, and again, there are no “throw aways”, at least that is the thing we must hold on to.

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