Local Reaction To Balloon Boy
PALM SPRINGS – The story of a 6-year-old boy and a loose balloon caught the nation’s attention last week. The boy wasn’t hurt but new questions are being asked, this time of child welfare, in light of police statements that the whole thing was a hoax.
“There may be emotional abuse in the sense that you’re asking a kid to lie and the child doesn’t feel comfortable about it,” says former Superior Court judge Stephen M. Lachs. Hesays the majority of cases he has seen are of physical and sexual abuse. Even then, children still choose to return to their abusive parents.
“There has to be a really, really, good solid reason to take a child away from her or his parents and I don’t think most people would think this kind of involvement in a family plot would warrant taking kids away,” Lachs says.
People gavemixed reactions.
“To talk about the silliness of taking them away from the parents is wrong. You don’t do that. They stay with their parents,” says Charles Wilson.
“It’s horrible. I definitely think something should be done,” says Graham Cooley.
“That I don’t know. Someone else has to make that call because I think a lot more things are involved such as, ‘is this isolated? Is this their M.O.?’ I don’t know about things like that, but mom and dad should be punished,” says Jim Flynn.
“The kids shouldn’t be taken away. That’s something that can be taught, that it was wrong and teach them what is the right thing to do and the parents make their mistakes. They shouldn’t be taken away,” says Lily Melear.
