[Dueller]

Friday evening I get a call from a hysterical mother...her 16 y.o. daughter's been arrested for shoplifting and they're at the police station. I get there in 5 minutes and mom's going nuts about her sweet baby in handcuffs sitting in the booking cell.

I speak to the officer and it turns out she was caught with $493 in designer clothes stashed in an oversized shoulder bag. Good thing, as >$500 is a felony. Stepdad arrives and I explain the situation: Caught on camera, had scissors/seam rippers etc to cut away the security sensors, etc.

MOM THEN WANTS ME TO ARRANGE FOR HER TO PAY FOR THE STUFF SO HER SWEET BABY GIRL CAN WALK.

Not happenin', dear. I explain the process; i.e., she will be held in juvenile detention over the weekend and until Tuesday for a detention hearing, regardless of the outcome there will be no permannet record if she stays out of trouble until 18, probabtion terms, counselling, etc. Mom is outraged.

Ultimately I convince her this is the best thing for her dtr since it appears it is a first offense and there are some extenuating circumstances as to why the kid made this bad decision, yadadadadada.

But Mom still thinks she should have been able to make it go away rather than subjecting the kid to "all this trauma."

Fortunately, the kid seems to have a little sense. Parents...sheesh