Anonymous asked this question on 3/31/2000:
My son was in his home studying at his desk (junior in college) when the front door burst open and another student (known to him from fraternity) ran in and started beating him. He ran out when he realized there was a girl sitting at the next desk screaming. He went outside and slashed the tires on my son's car. My husband and I called this boy's father who said he would talk with his son and said he would assure us this would never happen again. I called this boy(age 21) who admitted he was wrong, mishandled his anger, didn't offer to apologize or talk things over and refused to see a therapist. I called the father and told him he had two choices: His son would see a therapist of our choice and follow a prescribed treatment plan or I would be going to the District Attorney to file charges. (The father responded that I was being unreasonable and that "boys will be boys"). I don't know if this kid is more than a product of poor parenting skills, no ability to handle his anger, and in denial about his drug and alcohol abuse which I believe contributed to his irrationality. The father agreed to talk it over with his son, but told me I was blowing it up out of proportion. I want to know if this kid is more than a hothead and has a mentally unbalanced state that could lead to further attacks.
Fr_Chuck gave this response on 3/31/2000:
You are even kinder that I would be, I would have allowed the father of other boy to pay for damages, for my son's medical bills, and also for couseling for my son if he needed any from being attacked and then I might have droped the charges I would have placed about 30 minutes after it happened.
You by not calling the police at the time it happened, allowing you son to be treated by medical, to prove injury, having police inspect and photograph the car damage, have really ruined any case they really had.
You should call the police, district attorney at once, explain to them what happened and they you were trying to work it out with other family. But press charges, letting him learn that he can get away with this for any reason is a bad lesson, We "HAVE" to teach our youth that they will have to pay for their crimes.
The average rating for this answer is 4.