This story pops up every once in a while, proving that stupidity and cluelessness has a strong streak of repetition. A Nashville mother is the latest parent to get arrested for hiring strippers for a minor child and his buddies to celebrate a birthday:

A mother faces criminal charges after she hired a stripper to dance at her 16-year-old son's birthday party. Anette Pharris, 34, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and involving a minor in obscene acts. The boy's father, the stripper and two others also face charges. ...

Anette Pharris took photos at the party and tried to have them developed at a nearby drug store. Drug store employees notified authorities, police said.

"Who are they to tell me what I can and can't show to my own children?" the mother said.

Where to start with Pharris? Let's establish some baseline assumptions. I'm not that much of a prude that I think a naked body corrupts everyone who sees it. However, I do think that teenagers who already struggle to understand sexuality and their own urges are not helped by having parents provide writhing strippers and lap dances to their 16-year-old sons. And while Pharris may have more of a voice in determining appropriate entertainment for her own child, she certainly doesn't have the right to determine it for his friends.

This is what happens when parents decide that being buddies with their kids and indulging every impulse they have is more important than parenting. Parents are the primary teachers of their children, and while it's important to keep lines of communication open, that doesn't mean that parents have to capitulate on every urge their teenagers have. All Pharris taught her son was that she has no judgement or morals at all, and that it's perfectly OK to indulge every hormonal impulse no matter what the circumstances.

Last lesson: if one really insists on being this stupid, buy a digital camera.

ADDENDUM: The First Mate had me in stitches this morning after I told her about this story. When she calmed down, she casually asked me what kind of birthday cake would go with that particular party theme...

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» Mom Indicted for Hiring Stripper for Teen from Outside The Beltway
A Nashville woman has been indicted for hiring a stripper for her 16-year-old son and his friends. Mom Indicted for Hiring Stripper for Teen (AP) A mother faces criminal charges after she hired a stripper to dance at her 16-year-old son’s b... [Read More]

Tracked on May 29, 2005 1:02 PM

» Another vote for digital photography from LightFrog Blog
Another reason to purchase a digital camera over film: Less trouble with the law. Hat tip Captain's Quarters... [Read More]

Tracked on May 29, 2005 4:24 PM