This kid has some real balls.

[Angcuru]

Jeez, Angcuru, are you sure you're not a dire wildebeast?

It's me birthday (or was, about an hour ago), so I'm allowed to be grumpy.

I'm studying psychology, so those are the things I first latch on to. Focus on the negative, and you can better prevent it.

 

[Algolei]

Happy belated grumpy birthday then.

Focusing on the negative too much will just reinforce it. Then you'll grow up to be just like me!

 

[aurance]

Happy belated grumpy birthday then.

Focusing on the negative too much will just reinforce it. Then you'll grow up to be just like me!

I'm studying psychology too, you know

Focusing on the negative does tend to reinforce it. It's better to just study what is, and make realistic pattern predictions.

 

[Xath]

I think it's wierd that the father flagged down the fire truck to get help to the little boy.

 

[noeuphoria]

When I worked in the 911 center, we trained on a tape of an 8-year old kid whose mom drove him and his 4-year old brother out to the middle of a gravel pit, shot his brother in the head, him in the lung, and then killed herself. Oh yeah, she threw her cell phone out of the window first. So the kid, with a bullet in his lung, gets out of the car, gets the phone, and calls 911. They can't trace the call, so we're trying to get the kid to describe landmarks. He remembers passing a fire station, and gives us the make and color of the car. At this point, the kid's close to passing out and dying, and cops don't know quite where he is, so the operator gets a schematic of the dash from a car dealer on another line, and has the kid turn on the emergency flashers. They eventually found him. He graduated from high school last year. All through this, the kid was calm and helpful. I can think of plenty of adults that would have panicked in that situation. Sometimes kids can surprise you.

 

[Uzumaki]

Makes you wonder about people sometimes, how they can do such horrible things to each other.

Ch'.

Why is everyone applauding the kid's bravery and courage? All he had was the presence of mind to call the cops.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Ch'.

Why is everyone applauding the kid's bravery and courage? All he had was the presence of mind to call the cops.

Uzumaki, I hope that someday, if someone murders your mother and tries to kill you, "all" you have is the "presence of mind to call the cops."

Or maybe not.

 

[Bagpuss]

And the guy's pleading innocent?

I don't see why you find that so hard to believe. If the guy flagged down help, it seems likely that he was not acting himself when he attacked his family, it could well be that he had a psycotic episode, and didn't realise what he was doing or had no control over his actions at the time. Or it could be that the kid is refering to another adult male (perhaps wearing a ski-mask) and calling him 'daddy' as he assumed that's who it was, he wouldn't expect to see another man in the house. Without all the facts there are plenty of reasons he might plead innocent. Its his word against a 8 year old kid? How do you know the kid didn't stab his mother then stab himself, to get his dad in trouble? Kids have committed murder before now.