Tuesday, May 22, 2007

LOU IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

Years ago, my son's longtime playmate, "Timmy," killed the guppies in our aquarium. I spoke to the boy and heard his lame excuse that "he just felt like doing it." I was sadly remiss and let other things take my attention, so I didn't mention the incident to Timmy's parents. Years later, Timmy took a gun to school and killed his teacher "because he felt like doing it." If only he had gotten help before that fatal action left an innocent family without a parent.

Please keep pounding home the importance of seeing early warning signs and getting good help for these troubled children. -- LOU IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

You have blood on your hands, Lou! Blood! On your hands!

Oh, wait, that's just ketchup from the guppy sandwich you're eating. Get a napkin already.

I never really know whether or not to buy stories like yours. They always seem a little too pat, a little too perfect. I'm sure there were other, less dramatic situations when "Timmy" used the same excuse. A few examples:

Why did he rent "Little Man" at the video store? Because he felt like doing it.

Why did he put the empty box of cereal back in the cupboard? Because he felt like doing it.

Why did he wait until getting inside the car with all the windows rolled before expelling a particularly offensive fart? Because he felt-- you get the idea.

What disturbs me most about your made-up story is the bizarre underlying sense of retribution. As if the teacher got shot for not noticing the warning signs. Enough with your emotionally packed lies that shift the blame to the victim--tell your son's friends to stop killing the guppies already!

Your advice, readers?

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