Prizes

She was given the soda, so it belonged to her....She was given the cup, the ice and the soda, which includes whatever was attached to the cup.

If I gave someone an oyster to eat, and there was a pearl in it, the pearl is theirs too.

If I was throwing a party, and had a tray with 6 dozen oysters on it for me and my guests, unless I picked up the shell that also had the pearl, whoever got it keeps it, and with my happy congratulations at their good luck.

and then the giver reneged on the gift.

lesson learned.

people suck sometimes.

throwing more effort after them is a waste of the limited number of days in my life...

That doesn't answer the question of how you would use this as a learning moment to teach a kid that stole something that it's not ok to steal.

For anyone that believes children are our future and all that, isn't it hypocritical to say they wouldn't bother giving them the example of what happens when you do something wrong?

Personally, if some asshole stiffed me for a hundred bucks, I could just ignore it.

It's the fact the child stole something not hers, then gave it to an adult who condoned it, giving the kid the "learning moment" that this is fine.

Why did the adult reneg on this one particular gift? Why not ask all the kids to turn in their peel off stickers?

Maybe the adult should have walked around, taking random bites out of the guests fish-o-lets, lick the salt off their french fries, and take some slurps out of different milk shakes. I mean, she paid for them, why let the people she gave them to get to enjoy it themselves?

it's not fine.

but it's not stealing.

it is somewhere in the murky grey of bad behavior by a party host. and entitled children. and bad marketing promotions.

this is why I don't eat at Mickeys.

It's stealing.

It has nothing to do with mcdonalds.

I'll say this.

next time I get a parking ticket, I would like you to represent me...

You never did answer my question.

the one about teaching a stealing lesson?

I think I did.

that's not the lesson I would teach.

more along the lines that it takes only $100 of gas to get folks to show their ugly underbelly to their "friends".

(sorry I'm not just right on top of this, I started a fire in the shop to work tonight, and I have eggs burling. gonna have a salad with my chili)

That's not the person to whom I was asking the lesson be directed.

How would you teach the child that did the stealing it was wrong?

Takes a village and all that.

I'd leave that one alone. her mom is crazy and all...

I suppose we could cut off her right hand.

but it was her first offense.

and I think her mom has created most of her personality problems for her...

See, that's exactly what I was saying.

You're making this about teaching the kid that doesn't need the lesson.

I think the granddaughter has figured out on her own that people can suck. No need to teach that.

The person who needs a life lesson is the one who is learning stealing is ok, and is apt to go on to bigger and better things, ending up like her mother, or worse.

What better lesson than to see what happens to adults who steal? They get caught, the victim isn't afraid to back down or be bullied into saying "this isn't a big deal, not worth my time or the negativity of it all", and that you end up making restitution to the person you stole from.

Of course one can argue this just being stubborn. I'll probably hear in the next few posts all about that.

It's teaching the person who is learning to do the wrong thing that there are consequences, but that they can also do the right thing.

What's the use?
Well, it would be great for starters if a few kids, or people figure out not to steal from others.

it's hard to teach other people's kids life lessons without pissing off their parents.

one could even get hurt trying it...

Agreed.

That's why I asked what you would do.

I'd take the mother to small claims court.

and I'd walk away and get on with my life.

less those folks...

I'm worth more than $100 a day.

Cherrie could give the grand-daughter $101 in compensation for her loss. The grand-daughter could then tell the birthday girl about having been compensated for something which had been stolen from her.

(Warning -- I don't have kids, nor do I think I ever should.)