Did you all read this story?
Hardly anything shocks me anymore. I realize that there are people who lie, cheat, scam other people. But this did shock me.
Maybe because it is the mother who helped orchestrate the lie so that her daughter could get free Hannah Montana tickets. She had her six year old daughter write an essay for a contest saying that her father was killed in Iraq.
It angered me on so many levels. First because what about all the children who really have lost their fathers in Iraq or elsewhere.
But also what is this mother teaching her daughter? Why would she want to instill this sort of entitlement in her child? That if you want something it is okay to cheat and lie in order to get it. It is in such sharp contrast to everything that I teach my children.
I also have to wonder how the child felt about being forced to lie. It must have made her feel uncomfortable also. I can remember as a child when my mother would ask me to lie, something I would NEVER, EVER ask my children to do, that I hated every minute of it.
And I just read in another follow-up story that the mother claims she did not know that the essay had to be true. I am not sure how you can try to justify that when the question was “Why do you deserve Hannah Montana tickets?”
Not only is the mother going on television acting shocked that her daughter’s prize has been taken away. She is threatening to take legal action against the sponsors of the contest. Even though she willingly tried to defraud the contest sponsors and provided bogus information about the child’s father. Mostly i feel sad for the littlegirl who has been caught in the middle and has a mother with seemingly no moral compass.
Some days I wonder where this world is going. Seems like we are halfway into that handbasket.
Only halfway?
I also wonder what the dad’s reaction will be when he finds out, if he doesn’t know already. I didn’t know about that awful mom trying to sue, maybe the real rightful winner should sue her for the “mental anguish” of at first thinking they hadn’t won – I don’t ordinarily believe in such lawsuits, but she’s so idiotic she’d deserve it.
Comment by Brigitte — January 4, 2008 @ 6:15 am
I don’t agree with lying and strongly against forcing anyone, especially a child, to lie, but all this for Hannah Montana tickets? I think that just disgust me more than the forcing to lie. Have we become so obessesed with getting things for our kids (keeping up with Joneses) that we will instill immoral acts to get them. I am just disgusted all around.
Comment by Wendy — January 4, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
It didn’t seem like there is a father in the picture.
Halfway? I am trying to be optimistic
Comment by Chris — January 4, 2008 @ 6:51 pm
There is a father, he is employed in construction.
Comment by Debby — January 5, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
Debby,
I wonder what the father thinks then. In all the reports that I have read or seen a father has not been mentioned.
Comment by Chris — January 5, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
I think this points to a bigger issue that I have been struggling with ever since Christmas….
Commercialism and materialism has become the driving force behind our society. Not only on an economics level, but on every level. Where parents would put material gain above morals and values. It happens all the time (it’s called theft, burglary, etc.), but I think when we see it in this form, it’s much more shocking. We have become so fixated on the “gotta have”. It just drives me nuts.
Comment by Michelle — January 8, 2008 @ 12:22 am
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
Comment by sandrar — September 10, 2009 @ 5:30 pm