So here's the deal...my son missed too many classes this....he was a senior by the way...we had to go to?

Question

truancy court back in May.He did not have the $300 to pay the fine so he elected to do 30 hrs of community service.He is 18 and also had to go to summer school to even try to graduate. If he did not get the comm serv done by a certain date he had to go back to court..well that happened to be a summer school day so i had to change the date which gave him an additional month to get it done. He does not work(whole other issue) All he wants to do is hang out and have "FUN" with his friends. his court date is this Friday and he hasn't done 1 minute of his comm service.So heres the deal..i either have to pay the $300 fine or most likely he will sit in city jail for the weekend for not following a court order...what should i do...pay the fine and he learns nothing or let his butt sit there and maybe he will. I dont want my son to sit there but I have been on him and on him to get this done and he just keeps blowing it off.

Answer 1

pay the fine

Answer 2

As a 19-yr-old I would probably "hate" my parents for leaving me in jail for a weekend but at the same time when I got older I would probably recognize that they did it for my own good and to teach me something. Because lets face it - if you pay the fine for him he learns nothing and if it happens again he's just going to expect you to bail him out again.

Answer 3

let him go to jail for the weekend...

if you just bail him out all the time he will keep doing it & he will never learn his lesson.

Answer 4

He is 18.  It is time for him to learn responsibility.  If you continue to bail him out of situations, he'll never learn responsibility.  He also need to learn that his parents will not always be there.  That 300$ you may need to pay one of your bills, or you may have other kids who will need that money.  I would say let him do his time, he did the crime not you.  That's called tough LOVE, then tell him to grow up.  He had more than one chance.

Answer 5

If he were mine, he would be sitting his butt in jail for the weekend.  If you pay the fine he will not learn responsibility.  You also need to dish out some kind of punishment also for him missing so much school.

Answer 6

if you keep bailing him out, what is he learning? I know you're trying to protect him, but you are only teaching him that he can do anything he wants and you will always fix it. enough is enough. let him sit in jail, he made his bed he can lie in it. it's called being his PARENT not his friend.

Answer 7

let him got o jail if its only for a short period.

Answer 8

You have answered your own question.  If you pay it, he learns nothing.

Answer 9

i would make him sit in jail. he's 18 and he needs to learn that this is what happens when you don't listen. i think it will make him realize he has to grow up and life isn't one big party.