Two twelve year old boys in New York have been arrested after they allegedly pushed a shopping cart off of a building, which struck a mother in the head and put her into a coma.  Reports are that the two miscreants were joking and laughing as they were led away.

I thought there was little left in the world that would shock me, but yet again, I was wrong.

Look, I’ve played pranks in my day.  The culmination was probably the night two friends and I tied a rope around a mannequin and hung it from a highway overpass somewhere in the wilds of North Dakota.  If I recall correctly, that one required a county sheriff to pull off the road and investigate.  No-one got hurt, and other than a police officer who had to get out of his warm cruiser on a crisp late October evening, no-one was inconvenienced.

Here we have these two twits who think it’s cool to push shopping carts off the side of buildings onto crowded sidewalks.  Since they’re only 12, I assume they’ll be tried as juveniles, which means at best they’ll get a slap on the backside and told to not do it again.  Their parents will go on the nightly news and cry about how their kids were just confused and out for a bit of fun, and how sorry they really were.  When shown footage of their sons smiling for the cameras and not looking remorseful at all, the term “your lying eyes” will probably be uttered in some form.

I had a conversation with both Little Bear and Junior when they turned 12 or so, and I’m due to have it with Girlie Bear.  Basically, it summed up how they could get into trouble that I couldn’t help them with, and their chances if they were ever arrested.  To put it in a nutshell, if they find themselves in jail, I suggest they get comfortable, because I’m not bailing them out.  It matters little to me whether or not they actually did what they are accused of, or if it was a friend that got them into trouble.  Simply being in a situation that might bring the attention of Officer Friendly is reason enough for them to spend a night in jail.

Junior got through high school without an arrest record, and things are looking good for Little Bear.  Hopefully their sister and little brother follow in their footsteps.

Something has changed in our children, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is.  Whatever it is, we, as parents, need to find and eliminate it. 

A convenience store in Florida was robbed the other day.  While this is probably not an uncommon occurrence, the fact that one of the robbers disguised himself by wearing a Sponge Bob Squarepants costume makes this noteworthy.

No word yet on the real identity of the assailant, although police advise the public to be on the lookout for a short person, with a squarish body form and bright yellow skin, who is wearing only tighty whitey’s.  Suspect is believed to associate with big lunks shaped like starfish and squirrels wearing scuba gear.  Authorities also advise us to not approach the suspect, as his ability to annoy can be deadly at close range.