Ding-Dong-Ditch Gone Wrong

mutton :
and I would NOT be here today, if my folks thought I was in bed, at 11pm, and I was actually out on the streets, on others' property. No doubt what my father would have done to me if I Had been, or that I would Never do that again.

petronoluem : and this is the problem with our society… excuse after excuse after excuse for bad behavior. Entering the property, going up to the door and ringing the doorbell/knocking or whatever, CAUSED the homeowner the be alarmed, CAUSED him to reach for a weapon,CAUSED him fear, CAUSED him to feel the need, in the heat of the moment to defend himself and his property. There is no reasonable explanation that sides with the one that CAUSED it all to play out. It was not fun, it was not funny, it was not harmless, it was not a game.

donnatella :
Another time-honored kid rite of passage kicked to the curb.
Being right off a greenbelt street crossing, I was a frequent target of every prank and haven for marauding pranksters fleeing greenbelt patrolling out of shape cops. Cross country runners knew where to run to. The best was X-mas. My reindeer mated under the lascivious looks of nutcrackers.
I always paid Boy Scout TP cleanup insurance.
Of course, let us ruin the fun was we lament that the good old Leave it to Beaver days are gone.
One time ALL but one runner made it. Finally, the last one straggled in and explained he dove into the shrubs to escape. He speculated that some varmint had urinated on his leg. That was funny. It was about this time in 2001? Just before the Andy Wells meet.

donnatella : This is awful. The kid should not have been out at 11 pm playing stupid games and the man should not have shot. Ringing a doorbell does not pose a threat! Prayers for the boy that he will be okay and he and the shooter will learn a valuable lesson.

donnatella : Isn't there a curfew for children?

It's sad this happened. It probably isn't the first time and definitely won't be the last. Houston no longer has a curfew for juveniles. Maybe the leaders should reconsider that. Just MHO.

oldarn : A 10 year old should have a parental curfew no matter what! 11pm is way too late for 10yr old, even 10pm is late for that age imo.

mutton :
My youngest daughter had a cross-country pal whose parents did not realize that slender girls could shimmy out through bathroom windows in the dead of the night. She thinks she's fortunate to have only boys.

donnatella :
Tell me, did you ever indulge in innocent mischief as a child? Toilet paper in the trees, eggs on windshields, perhaps a well-timed ding-dong ditch? I imagine not, judging by your... particular sense of decorum. My childhood had its rules...broken more often than not. Mischief was expected. Punishment? A stern lecture, maybe a grounding. Not bullets.We weren't in the best neighborhood. Our neighbor once shot his wife, true story. Oddly enough, when we lit a bag of dog feces on fire on his porch, he showed surprising restraint. It makes one wonder... perhaps if people paused, took a breath, considered the absurdity of it all, they might act with less fear, and a touch more humanity.Yes, cause and effect is inevitable, like gravity. But response... response requires judgment. You don't answer a child's knock with a bullet to the spine. That's not justice. That's overkill. Like frying someone in the electric chair because they startled you with a joy buzzer. Unmeasured. Indefensible. And frankly barbaric.

@BillHouston : No, we did all of that when I was a kid, but times were vastly different.

@BillHouston : response, that's the key. It's like Richard Pryor said, sometimes when you stick the Oreo in the milk things go boom and the next thing you know you're running down the street with your hair on fire.

donnatella :
Times have certainly changed If this is considered an appropriate response, then I must admit I'm quite curious to see where this peculiar path leads us next.

The imps were of a different persuasion, back in Beaver Cleaver days. Then the Addams' and Munster's moved in. @BillHouston :