This is a pretty odd story that shows some people need to learn to relax a little. Sometimes, a minor problem gets out of hand. I think this sure is a case of it. I think that having someone just talk to the family would help --- and it sounds like they need a good counsellor.

My parents used to hide our presents in the attic. My sister and I'd climb up there and play with them before they were placed under the tree on Christmas Eve....unwrapped, just as Santa would've brought them. I was about 9 when Mom caught us a few days before Christmas. She was devestated as she thought we still believed in Santa! We were upset because we thought she knew we didn't believe, and from the guilt of making our mother cry.

Thank goodness she didn't have us arrested!

Sometimes, I think that people get too caught up in possessions or even in their opinions to see what really matters. Family is more important than any gift. I just hope that this family gets some help. We have to remember what unites us is far more important than what divides us.

Will

So true!

There are divisions within any community. A family, a classroom, and even a discussion board are types of communities. Families, classrooms, and discussion boards have goals and often there will be flare-ups and brushfires that have to be put out by those members of the community who truly care.

Whether it's parents, teachers, or board mods and admins, if we all concentrated on what unites us rather than what divides us, we might all get along better and our goals would be reached much faster.

If the mother of this child who took his Christmas present early had asked herself why did her son do this, within the context of the holiday, she might have reacted differently. She might have had a good time with her son, talking to him about why he took the gift, and the importance of trust. Now, though, the child will remember that he was arrested at the age of 12 for taking his own Christmas present and opening it early.

Not a good way to establish open, productive dialogue between the parent and a child just about to enter those difficult teen years.