I just love Don Shelby. He’s an anchor here in Minnesota and I just had to put this one in. He has a segment each evening called “Good To Know” and I usually agree with him all the way. Here’s the one from Tuesday Sept 22.
Don spent an evening with concerned parents listening to Joseph Califano, the founder of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. He’s written a new book called “Raising a Drug Free Kid.” He says parents are the key. Don has a story of one parent that might be good to know.
It is in Secretary Califano’s book, and it is priceless.
“The parent’s name is Jane Hambleton of Fort Dodge Iowa. She bought her son an Oldsmobile Intrigue and attached one rule. No booze in the car.
Three weeks later she found a bottle of liquor. Her son said it was a friend’s, and her son had been the designated driver.
She believed him. Then, she took the car away and sold it.
Here’s the ad she ran in the Des Moines Register: Quote: “OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally un-cool parents who obviously don’t love their teenage son, selling his car — Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom, who needs to get a life, found the booze under the front seat. Three thousand, seven hundred dollars or best offer. Call the meanest mom on the planet.”
Miss Hambelton, if you are ever in the Twin Cities, I would like to buy you dinner. That is totally cool.”
What do you think?
Us Girls..Our Views 
I think it’s great! Since she bought the car and gave him one lousy rule to follow and he couldn’t do it, then she had every right to turn around and sell it. It was obvious to her that her son wasn’t ready for the responsibility, trust and COMMON SENSE that comes with having a vehicle. ONE RULE, that was all he had to follow and he blew it. I give her credit for believing he was the designated driver! I wouln’t have!
I’m sure her son hated her… but to some degree I agree with Sue. The mom gave him one simple rule and he didn’t follow it. However, I do hope she told him what the consequences would be for breaking the rule. For all we know she might have been the coolest mom ever up until then…with no previous consequences for not following rules.
Tough love. Tough, she may have saved his life and that of his friends.
That was good.Too many kids get away with way to much,cause mom and dad do not follow threw on the rules.I applaude her.I never bought my kids a car,but if they did something wrong,there was always a consequence for it.It works.And they might think they hate you at the moment.But in the end they love you for it.I know,as my kids are all grown up and starting there own families.And I am proud of who they all have become.I am one proud Momma 🙂
Having a car as a teen is a huge privilege, especially if it was a gift. I am so glad that this mom let her kid know that (a) I care if you live or die and (b) you had better not take your privileges for granted.
He will have another car in good time. And eventually he will have the sense to be thankful that he’s still alive to drive it.
I remember when my oldest brother was about 16, he was kind of hard for my mom to manage, and he got caught skipping school or some such thing. Up until then he was the only one of us 6 kids who had his own room (and he’d only had it for a short while). My mom took away his room and gave it to me. Sometimes you have to do something “drastic” to make them “wake up.”
You gotta love the meanest Mom in the world. I had to call the police on my son about 5 years ago. They took him away and I can’t even write some of the things he yelled at me. He was in a psych ward for three days. He apologized to me later but after that he knew I meant business. Don’t mess with mom. Tough love works even though it sometimes damn near kills me to do it.
That’s pretty harsh. But she warned him and he blew it so TOO BAD!!
Way to go Miss Hambelton! If your not responsible enough to follow one VERY simple rule, then your not responsible enough to own your own car. I would have done the same thing to my kid and my dad would have done the same to me.
God willing, I will not have to do this, because I’m already laying the groundwork to prevent it. I hope. But this one is going into the “remember this” file… because what she did was awesome.
I think I’m on the right track, though. A couple weeks ago, Josh decided that I was too mean, and he wanted to trade me in.
Mean Mommies Unite!!
My kids haven’t quite figured out the connection between their obnoxiousness and mine, I think. So when I lose my cool, my youngest, who verbalizes every thought, says things like “don’t be mean. Be happy. I want to be happy.” So I explain how simple it can be to keep everyone happy, and five minutes later she’s up to her old tricks again . . . so we have quite a way to go . . . but I do think I’m on the elite “mean mommy” track . . . .
I heard this story awhile back and I loved it! At least her son is still alive to enjoy his mean mother!
We gave my oldest daughter who is 17 her own digital camera for her birthday and I flat out told her I did not want to see any inappropiate pictures taken or the camera and her internet access would be gone. Not gone for a week but just plain gone! She screwed up within a month and she has not had her camera, except for special events, or internet, except for homework with me looking over her shoulder, for the past 3 months now! Am I mean? Yep, and proud of it!
And this is how kids learn. They hate it now but will appreciate it in the long run and will most likely do the same to their children. We talk about responsibilty and accountability here often and this is just one more great example of a parent doing their job…WAY TO GO Miss Hambelton!! Kids need to learn how to act like adults if they are given adult privileges.
I read this awhile back.. but still agree with it..
The rule wasnt no booze of YOURs in the car.. the rule was simple.. NO booze.. doesnt matter who’s it is. It’s wonderful she believed her son and listening to him but she followed through with her rule and that is not something anyone can fault her for..
would i have done it? No.. simply b/c i’m not cool enough to have thought of it .. I’d have done something like driving the car myself and making them pay for the insurance for it.. That was the rule when I got my car.. I had to pay for my gas and one of the bills associated with the car.. I ended up paying myc ar note and my parents paid my insurance. I tell you when you’re paying for it yourself.. you tend to respect it a lil more..
I saw that woman and son on Ellen! I remember they both were very nice and candid about the whole thing. I think the son really did learn his lesson, and he had a good attitude about the whole thing. And hey, it got them on Ellen!
Umm… did my post not go through? Testing…
Sorry Laura, your comment got stuck in spam. Thanks for alerting me to it.