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classyT · Feb 20, 2009, 10:19 AM

My 16 year old son went to petland and bought a couple goldfish with his friends. Yesterday after school. As a prank they put it on some girls doorstep but she apparently caught them. It didn't end there... they went to back to the school to watch a friend play ball and they ended up putting the bag of fish in some cheerleaders locker as a joke. ( I don't know. Why?? I guess you have to be 16 to get it) This morning that girl went to the principles office upset about the goldfish. They hauled my kid down and according to the principle they were very hard on him. Nothing was missing in the girls locker and school property wasn't damaged at all. Knowing my son, he was probably scared to death, he isn't exactly "TROUBLE". They suspended him for the day. He is sitting in a little windowless room at school right now. Now see when I was in school, first being a girl I'd have thought it was funny and probably stuck it back in someone else's locker but that isn't the point. This is KIDS stuff... I don't get it?? Where is the harm? But then I'm the mom. I knew where he was after school, I knew about the fish, I knew a little bit about the prank. I just forgot to ask the question "what happened to the fish in the end"? That was my mistake. Do you think people have lost their sense of humors or do you think the punishment fit the crime? I could see a stern warning but SUSPENSION?

spitvenom · Feb 20, 2009, 10:29 AM

I think people are to sensitive today. I did way worse things in high school. Like the time I had a friend in each hallway with a stink bomb the good ones made of glass with this liquid in it. We broke them all at the same time and went back to class they had to cancel school the rest of the day but we never got caught.

The only time I got suspended is when I wore shorts and they told me to go home and get changed because they didn't tell us we were allowed to wear shorts again (my high school was weird) Well of course I didn't go back I stayed home and watched TV. I didn't care about the suspension and neither did my parents.

The girl probably went into the office really upset and they had to do something because if they didn't her parents would start to complain. I think it is a little harsh but it is what it is and he will learn from it.

Edit** I got 3 days out of school suspension for ordering cheese steaks to the cafeteria for me and my friends. I snuck into the nurses office and used her phone to order them. They were none to happy about that.

classyT · Feb 20, 2009, 10:38 AM

LOL, I did dumb stuff like that all the time myself. I like the ordering cheese steaks on the nurses phone. Sorry but funny is funny!! With all the really bad stuff like drugs, theft, fighting in school you think they would lighten up on a goldfish stuck in a locker. Oh well. He is more than likely sitting in the in school suspension worried about what is going to happen to him when he walks in the door.! Think I will go get some goldfish and put them in his car with a sticker that says... love mom. LOL Maybe his ride home won't be so hard. :)

spitvenom · Feb 20, 2009, 10:45 AM

I agree kids are kids and they do stupid things. At least if you do that he will have a smile on his face.

Justwantfair · Feb 20, 2009, 10:46 AM

My son was 7 and he pinched a girl in the breast area when she leaned across him to get the markers in Art... now we are talking about 7 year olds, they threatened to suspend him for sexual harassment.

I think things have become TOO extreme. Things like this were normal when we were growing up, now the same things make our children criminals.

I really think you have to pick your battles, the school came down hard on him, but you don't have to. Just tell him pranks aren't for on school property. :confused:

artlady · Feb 20, 2009, 10:53 AM

It is a little harsh but if they started bending the rules it would be mayhem! They are teens and dumb stunts go with the territory.

He probably broke some rules,no pets in school, invasion of privacy.

He has to learn about consequences and as consequences go its just one day,not that bad.

I think he needs to have a better sense of caring for living things,fish or not,they were still living.

classyT · Feb 20, 2009, 11:12 AM

artlady,

I looked in the school policies and saw nothing prohibiting stuffing a bag of goldfish in a girls locker. Go figure? So I'm not sure about what rule he bent. Having said that... he will get a lecture on the importance of being kinder to the goldfish. ;)