Will I have to pay for damage my nephew may have caused on my neighbors plumbing?

[Taxing Matters]

Yes. Philton said his nephew is 12.

I agree that jail time probably should not be punishment for any of the minor children...

I agree. I think we've swung the pendulum too far in the direction of criminal punishment for what is, in essence, simply childhood pranks or experimentation and not true acts of malice. Where a teen or near teen injures or kills someone or commits some other serious violent crime, or kills someone's pet, commits theft, maliciously destroys property, and other similar serious intentional acts that cause significant harm to the people and property of others, that warrants some time behind bars. I don't think we have that situation here.

I think this probably is best viewed as a kid prank that resulted in unexpected or ill-considered damage rather than as a malicious act.

That's my take, too. While I don't think criminal charges are appropriate from what I know so far, that doesn't mean they should entirely escape consequences for it. I get the impression that today's parents are less inclined to punish kids for their wrong behavior and instead protect them from the consequences of that behavior. Parents are not there to be their kid's friend. The parent is there to raise a future adult who can deal with set backs and challenges without resorting to violence or uncivil behavior. The parents in this situation, even if their kid wasn't the one who actually dropped the firework in the toilet, ought to ensure their kid faces some consequence as being part of the group. I'm pretty sure the other kids egged on the bomber. That's how teens get into trouble; they cave to peer pressure.

Fortunately, it does not sound like police were called and no criminal charge(s) is being considered. Currently, at least.

Fortunately, too, it seems like no kid was injured. They were lucky. Lots of kids playing with fireworks end up with serious injuries, including burns and losing body parts like fingers.

The big and important unknown is the source of the firecracker.

If it was an adult, then clearly that person should be facing some criminal charges. Only an adult who is an idiot gives fireworks to 12 year olds.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I am not sure I would call a parent unreasonable for not wanting to pay for plumbing repairs necessitated by the acts of another. I would expect the one or ones responsible to pay.

Even if their kid wasn't the actual bomber, their kid staying around to watch it and effectively support it is troubling to me and that should bear some moral responsibility for the damage. If the other kids didn't think this was a cool idea, they should have said "I'm out of here" and left the scene.

 

[quincy]

Even if their kid wasn't the actual bomber, their kid staying around to watch it and effectively support it is troubling to me and that should bear some moral responsibility for the damage. If the other kids didn't think this was a cool idea, they should have said "I'm out of here" and left the scene.

Maybe. We don’t really know what happened or if any one of the kids objected.

 

[Bali Hai Again]

Maybe. We don’t really know what happened or if any one of the kids objected.

“My child would never do something like that” wouldn’t fly with me. They are all complicit until they all start singing the truth which we all know isn’t going to happen. Maybe getting the police involved would get closer to where the illegal explosive came from and I’m sure none of the adults want to see that happen and maybe including the party host. Time for all to pony up on the repairs.

 

[quincy]

“My child would never do something like that” wouldn’t fly with me. They are all complicit until they all start singing the truth which we all know isn’t going to happen. Maybe getting the police involved would get closer to where the illegal explosive came from and I’m sure none of the adults want to see that happen and maybe including the party host. Time for all to pony up on the repairs.

Again, we don’t really know if the kids haven’t been honest already and have truthfully pointed out the nephew as the sole person responsible for blowing up the toilet. It is always possible that the nephew located the firecracker somewhere and took it upon himself to toss it in the toilet, perhaps to impress his new friends.

Of course, I don’t believe that to be what happened. I know from first hand experience what it’s like to be among a group of 12-year-old boys who have been given more freedom than should have been given.

I don’t think it fair, though, that all should be punished if they were not involved in the act. That sounds to me too much like middle school where a teacher assigns everyone additional homework because one kid in class misbehaved. I never liked it then, and I like it no better now.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I don’t think it fair, though, that all should be punished if they were not involved in the act. That sounds to me too much like middle school where a teacher assigns everyone additional homework because one kid in class misbehaved. I never liked it then, and I like it no better now.

As you've noted, we don't have all the facts. But this strikes me as a bit different than the middle school situations. In those situations, the other kids weren't complicit in the one kid acting up. However, in the situation in this thread if a kid didn't object, didn't try to stop it, or didn't simply leave then that kid may well be complicit in encouraging the toilet bombing just by giving the bomber his audience. That kid would not bear nearly the same blame as the bomber, but he would have some blame. If nothing else, the kid's parents ought to teach the kid that the situation was a dangerous one for everyone involved and the kid was lucky he wasn't injured. Even if just for that reason, the kid should have left when he saw what was going on. Of course, 12 year-old boys aren't exactly known for that kind of rational thinking, which why parents need to teach them about it.

 

[quincy]

I guess we will have to wait to see what happens, if Philton decides to come back with an update.

 

[Taxing Matters]

I guess we will have to wait to see what happens, if Philton decides to come back with an update.

I wish a lot more people would come back and give us "the rest of the story" (a phrase made famous by radio personality Paul Harvey).

 

[quincy]

I wish a lot more people would come back and give us "the rest of the story" (a phrase made famous by radio personality Paul Harvey).

My dad apparently knew Paul Harvey when Harvey worked in Chicago for ABC. He said Harvey talked in person exactly like he talked on the radio, with the dramatic pauses. Haha.