Ethics (for entertainment purposes only)

**NoHall** · 08-09-2007, 07:37 PM

As my little Greek student told me a couple of weeks ago: "I just got the shock of my whole entire life for two times today!"

First of all, I went to school this morning and was just chit-chatting with a professional person with a doctorate in something or another, and she asked me whose Mercedes was double parked outside the building. She went on to explain how mad that made her, and how during a "monthly meltdown" she once took her entire fistful of keys and ran it down the side of a double-parked car.

An hour later she showed me a flowered box-cutter that she had just stolen from the mail room. "It was just laying there, and it's so pretty!"

So then I came back where the house where I've been house/dogsitting all week to find it full of college kids. No less than a half dozen. Radio blaring, clothes/phones/food/sunscreen all over the place (and the housekeeper had just been there this morning,) and me desperately needing to go to bed. As rude as it seems, I asked, "Um. Who are you?"

"OH! HI!!!" she said, very sweetly. (Serious. This girl was as cute as a button, and I couldn't help but like her.) "I'm _______[I don't remember cutie pie's name]. Didn't [lady who lives here, call her Mrs. C] tell you we would be here? She told us we could come use the boat. She gave us a key to get in."

"Um. No. She called me four times today," (I was actually expecting the plumber,

not Kappa Delta Lake Day,

) "but she failed to mention that."

"OH! I'm SO sorry! It must really freak you out to come find us here!"

Um. Yeah. I told them that I had mono and needed to go to bed. Just please be quiet. "No problem whatsoever! We won't even come back in the house." (That turned out to be an empty promise, partly because I didn't have the heart to throw them out when it was 102 outside.)

So I called Mrs. C to report on the plumber, and told her about the house party. I knew that they had permission to use the boat, but I was miffed about hosting a party. She apologized and told me that they were not supposed to be in the house and that she did not give them a key. Dr. C told me the same thing the last time I housesat and came back to find lights on, doors open, etc.

Mrs. C called the kids' mother (we'll call her Linda, 'cause that's her name) just as Linda was coming to hang out with the kids.

Linda stood there and told me that the kids had no key; she said the housekeeper let them in. She said they had no plans to hang out in the house. She told me this as her son rummaged through all the kitchen/pantry drawers for a lighter for the grill and her daughter got the meat, cheese and drinks out of the fridge. (I guess that he had planned to light the grill with his heat vision and she had planned to leave the raw meat out in the sun with the dogs.)

Not in the mood to point out that she was lying to my face, I pointed out that her child told me that she had a key. "I'm sure the boys let her in. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Not in the mood to hit her in the mouth,

I told her that I have mono and needed to go to bed. She looked at me like I had leprosy instead of mono, and said, "You go on then, honey. I'll make sure they clean up." She joined the very noisy party in the kitchen. As soon as the plumber left, I gave up and went to my parents' house to rest.

SO MY QUESTION IS: What the he11 is the standard of petty little ethics today? Not murdering or pillaging (or leaving a chair on the beach!) Stuff that makes the world minutely better for you and more than moderately miserable for someone else.

I won't lie to you--I've lied and stolen. Like the professor, I have office supplies that I permanently borrowed. I just won't show you which ones they are. And I would never dream of keying a car. I just couldn't do it.

How do you people feel about lying for your kids? I'm sure that all parents will do it at some point when 1) it's "harmless," like saying he's under 12 at the Theater, or 2) when it's a fight-or-flight situation.

But this woman stood there and lied to me, even when Cutie Pie sweetly, apologetically told me the truth. She lied to Mrs. C (her old, dear, dimwitted friend) on the phone.

And for what?

That's what I don't get. I wasn't going to call the police. I wasn't going to throw them out. All I wanted was a nap.

**Allifunn** · 08-09-2007, 07:56 PM

Wrong, just plain WRONG!!! A parent NEVER should lie to or for a child!!! Nohall...you deserve a metal!

What a good sport you are, I would have been calling the police or telling the owner to *^%&$ off for putting you in that position! If you are supposed to house sit...that is what it means...keep the house safe...not allow kids to trash it...which is what could have happened if you were not there.....

**Ocean Lover** · 08-09-2007, 08:03 PM

All I can say is parents lead by example. I don't lie so I won't tolerate it from my kids, I don't steal, so I don't tolerate stealing, I don't cheat...etc.......

I hope you're feeling better and more rested by now!

**NoHall** · 08-09-2007, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Allifunn

Wrong, just plain WRONG!!! A parent NEVER should lie to or for a child!!! Nohall...you deserve a metal!

What a good sport you are, I would have been calling the police or telling the owner to *^%&$ off for putting you in that position! If you are supposed to house sit...that is what it means...keep the house safe...not allow kids to trash it...which is what could have happened if you were not there.....

The owners are one flower short of a bouquet. I do this job out of pity... I could write an even longer story about that.

The sad part is that Cutie Pie seems to have an honest soul, but her Mama taught her that it was okay to take over someone's empty house. Entitlement. I hate that people my age and younger think "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine and everybody owes me happiness and prosperity."

**steele mama** · 08-10-2007, 09:01 AM

There seem to be a lot of gray lines regarding ethics.
My kids would get mad because I would not write notes saying they were sick when they weren't. Now.......they aren't liars!

**NoHall** · 08-10-2007, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by steele mama

There seem to be a lot of gray lines regarding ethics.
My kids would get mad because I would not write notes saying they were sick when they weren't. Now.......they aren't liars!

Good kids with a good mama!

**BlueFox181** · 08-10-2007, 10:17 AM

I hear ya- people with bad ethics will have karma after them. At least- we can all hope...

Whatever happened to treating others like you want to be treated? Argh...

**sbartoldus** · 08-10-2007, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by BlueFox181

I hear ya- people with bad ethics will have karma after them. At least- we can all hope...

Whatever happened to treating others like you want to be treated? Argh...

Ditto!

**potatovixen** · 08-10-2007, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by NoHall

I hate that people my age and younger think "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine and everybody owes me happiness and prosperity."

Don't you know we're the ME ME ME Generation?

**audie** · 08-11-2007, 10:32 AM

wow that was long !

anywho, i think kids learn by example, obviously that momma was not a good example

**seacrestkristi** · 08-11-2007, 10:37 AM

What's to keep these young 'uns outta your sheeeet?

Wonder how many people have a key? I think I'd have to have a li'l talk with my landlord 'bout that.

**NoHall** · 08-11-2007, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by audie

wow that was long !

anywho, i think kids learn by example, obviously that momma was not a good example

Sorry so long; I'm not known for my brevity.

Originally Posted by seacrestkristi

What's to keep these young 'uns outta your sheeeet?

Wonder how many people have a key? I think I'd have to have a li'l talk with my landlord 'bout that.

I wondered that, too. I talked to the man of the house today and told him what was going on. (Not a landlord; I was housesitting.) I have a feeling that he's gonna have a little talk with his friends about it and/or change the locks...

**sunspotbaby** · 08-13-2007, 02:01 PM

That was a pretty funny story without all the ethics and morality. But if I were you I would've coughed mono all over em, drank out of their cups, hung around in the kitchen with em spreading the mono germs with glee until they left!

But that's just me.

**iwishiwasthere** · 08-13-2007, 09:03 PM

NoHall, your story is quite awful

It seems as if this parent is more concerned with her child being happy than responsible.

Bad as it is, I see it quite often. As a teacher, I am amazed at how many parents make excuses for their child's actions. It seems to happen more frequently now than in previous years. Parents do not want their child to "suffer" or "be punished". While I think a child's self-esteem is important, consistent discipline is valuable. Life is filled with disappointments, and people who can handle set backs are able to suceed. I worry that in the future there will be a larger than normal group of irresponsible people. Maybe the tides will change.