‘Meanest mom’ sells car after finding liquor

[Gunny]

Associated Press
updated 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

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.

more ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22578679/

 

[Shattered]

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.

Oh, well THAT makes it ok, then.

LMAO! Go Mommy..

 

[jillian]

Good for her!!

 

[Gem]

Printing out the article. I'm going to use it in a reading comprehension lesson with my middle-schoolers tomorrow! I'll let you know what my students think of it.

 

[midcan5]

All those without sin - in this case drinking before they were old enough - cast the first ad. Leaves me out.

Reminds me the other day we all got together for mom's 80 something birthday and when you grew up in a large, poor family the stories start us all laughing till tears come, my brother reminded me of how I came home drunk once and tried my darnedest to walk up the steps straight, needless to say I didn't make it as my father beat the hell out me, I can't say I felt a thing but had he taken my bike that would have bothered me.

Let me edit this one more time. Had that been my wife or I we would have left said nothing then but talked later about drinking and driving. Once when we were looking for a blank vcr tape we came across porn our boys has procured, never said a word and guess what they grew up fine. That lady in my opinion did wrong by getting so carried away.

 

[Shattered]

All those without sin - in this case drinking before they were old enough - cast the first ad. Leaves me out.

Reminds me the other day we all got together for mom's 80 something birthday and when you grew up in large, poor family the stories start us all laughing till tears come, my brother reminded me of how I came home drunk once and tried my darnedest to walk up the steps straight, needless to say I didn't make it as my father beat the hell out me, I can't say I felt a thing but had he took my bike that would have bothered me.

Let me edit this one more time. Had that been my wife or I we would have left said nothing then but talked later about drinking and driving. Once when we were looking for a blank vcr tape we came across porn our boys has procured, never said a word and guess what they grew up fine. That lady in my opinion did wrong by getting so carried away.

No offense, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, really, but.. Are you out of your freaking mind??

Underage kids, just got license and car, booze bottles under SEAT OF CAR, and you'd do nothing, and think this woman overreacted?

What the hell's wrong with you?

Porn and illegal activities wherein multiple people could lose thier lives are two totally different things.

 

[Dr Grump]

I think the mother went way OTT. Drinking age is 18 down here. I mean, c'mon peps - hands up on this board who NEVER had a drink until they were 20/21? Honestly?

 

[midcan5]

No offense, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, really, but.. Are you out of your freaking mind??

No offense taken, since we raised two fine men who are married and doing well, and I come from an enormous family where I can see the results of discipline versus a more reasoned or balanced approach I think she went too far. If that boy respected her, words would have sufficed. We all drank young, no big sin.

 

[jillian]

I think the mother went way OTT. Drinking age is 18 down here. I mean, c'mon peps - hands up on this board who NEVER had a drink until they were 20/21? Honestly?

Wasn't the drinking that was the problem. We all drank. The problem was that the kid and his friends were drinking in the car, IMO.

 

[Shattered]

No offense taken, since we raised two fine men who are married and doing well, and I come from an enormous family where I can see the results of discipline versus a more reasoned or balanced approach I think she went too far. If that boy respected her, words would have sufficed. We all drank young, no big sin.

So, if they were your kid, and his friend, and they got pulled over and fined for reckless driving, and underage drinking, and you're the one that got slapped with the fine, you'd just shrug it off and say nothing?

Or, would it suddenly become a problem only if they got caught?

 

[Angel Heart]

Wasn't the drinking that was the problem. We all drank. The problem was that the kid and his friends were drinking in the car, IMO.

ITA. My issue wouldn't of been the drinking but the fact that it was found in the car.

 

[Gunny]

Wasn't the drinking that was the problem. We all drank. The problem was that the kid and his friends were drinking in the car, IMO.

Agreed.

 

[midcan5]

So, if they were your kid, and his friend, and they got pulled over and fined for reckless driving, and underage drinking, and you're the one that got slapped with the fine, you'd just shrug it off and say nothing?

Or, would it suddenly become a problem only if they got caught?

That did not happen, and could he have been hiding it there?

Human behavior operates on a variety of levels, had our son done something that was considered dangerous or wrong they would have been strongly corrected. I am not one who defends their children regardless, but at the same time if this mother had spoken about this with him that may have been the right thing to do. 'Doing the right thing' needs to become internal and not forced I think.

Alienating your children through an act, I, and probably many others consider over board may hurt not help your relationship. Tell a child don't do it and you know what happens. And each person is different, the mother needs to know what works, I'll be darned if selling his first love - his car - is proper. My mom used to tell me my first car was my first love. lol

 

[Shattered]

That did not happen, and could he have been hiding it there?

Human behavior operates on a variety of levels, had our son done something that was considered dangerous or wrong they would have been strongly corrected. I am not one who defends their children regardless, but at the same time if this mother had spoken about this with him that may have been the right thing to do. 'Doing the right thing' needs to become internal and not forced I think.

Alienating your children through an act, I, and probably many others consider over board may hurt not help your relationship. Tell a child don't do it and you know what happens. And each person is different, the mother needs to know what works, I'll be darned if selling his first love - his car - is proper. My mom used to tell me my first car was my first love. lol

If your children don't know by age 16 (legal driving age) that drinking is illegal, driving is a privledge, and drinking AND driving is wrong, illegal, and potentially deadly, then they're not being properly taught. If they're being properly taught, and they did it *anyway*, then they deserve to lose the "hiding place". They're not responsible enough to drive, much less own a car.

 

[Gem]

I agree with most here. The issue for me wasn't that the kid drank - I agree with Midcan on that, kids will drink...

This issue was that the kid was lucky enough to have his parents buy him a car...and his mother was kind enough to place only two rules...dont drink in the car and don't leave it unlocked. Pretty damn simple.

The kid was stupid enough to either drink and drive. Or go someplace, drink, and then keep it in the car for his parents to find. Someone else said it best...the kid just proved he's too irresponsible to have a car. (Or at the very least...the kid is too irresponsible to have a car he didn't buy with his own money)

As my students pointed out when we talked about this article...if it had been HIS car that he bought with his OWN money...then the mother would have gone too far. But it was a gift, one that came with only two rules...when he broke the rules his mother had every right to take the present away.

 

[Dr Grump]

Wow, your rules are really uptight on this. Cops never had a problem with having drink in the car neither did parents. The biggest problem they had was if the driver was drinking - then all bets were off. As long as the driver was sober, nobody gave a toss.

 

[jillian]

Wow, your rules are really uptight on this. Cops never had a problem with having drink in the car neither did parents. The biggest problem they had was if the driver was drinking - then all bets were off. As long as the driver was sober, nobody gave a toss.

Here you're not allowed to have an open bottle of liquor in the car.

The problem is, particularly with teenage boys, you get the passengers drinking and they're passing the bottle up to the driver,,, and saying "oh come on... you're not gonna get drunk from a little.. " yadda, yadda.

 

[Dr Grump]

Here you're not allowed to have an open bottle of liquor in the car.

The problem is, particularly with teenage boys, you get the passengers drinking and they're passing the bottle up to the driver,,, and saying "oh come on... you're not gonna get drunk from a little.. " yadda, yadda.

Bollocks. Back in '83 when I was 16 we had turns at driving. One weekend it was me, the next Dave, the next Paul, the next Todd, the next Al.....the driver was always sober. Pull the fucker over and breathalyse him...then judge - DON'T PRE-judge....

 

[razorskater135]

She should have just pretended to sell it and then gave it back after a week, I'm sure he would have learned his lesson not having a car. At young age losing a car is losing so much freedom.

 

[hjmick]

She should have just pretended to sell it and then gave it back after a week, I'm sure he would have learned his lesson not having a car. At young age losing a car is losing so much freedom.

At a young age, killing yourself or someone else because you were irresponsible and drinking and driving results is losing so much freedom.

What lesson could possibly be learned by simply taking the car away for a week? This car was obviously paid for by the mother and was in her name, otherwise she would not have been able to sell it. This kid had no appreciation for the privilege, perhaps that will change while he saves his money to buy his next car.