Facebook vs. family values: Teenager creates group to get her parents to stop grounding her

[alp227]

A Facebook Movement, Against Mom and Dad

They feel her pain. At the Spence School and Greenwich High and Fullerton Union High and Nyack High and Narragansett High, teenagers and near-teenagers, 806 as of Friday morning, are waving a virtual flag for Tess Chapin, a 15-year-old from Sunnyside, Queens, who has been grounded for five weeks. By the time you are reading this, Tess’s Facebook group — “1000 to get tess ungrounded” — may well have reached its stated membership goal.

This is teenage rebellion, electronic style — peaceful, organized and, apparently, contagious.

So basically, Tess explains on her group page, she made an honest late-night mistake. Her parents flipped, and they grounded her for five weeks — “thats my childhood right there,” she wrote. “please join so I can convice them to unground me. please please please.”

On Monday, the official start of what Tess calls her “groundation,” she circulated a petition during sixth period and after school at Millennium High School in Lower Manhattan, where she is a sophomore. At a friend’s suggestion, once she got home, Tess basically put the petition online by starting the Facebook group, which she categorized under Organizations: Advocacy. The group promptly took off, proving that no adolescent experience, in the age of social networking, is too small to start a movement.

I guess it really does take a village to raise a child. :rofl:

In fact, Chapin is only 15 years old and is getting grounded for staying up too late and drinking at a party!!!!!! Who knows what's gonna happen to her if her parents just did nothing about it?

[MadHound]

1. If I were her parents I would ground her an additional day for every "signature" she brings in

Oh, and take away her electronics too.

[enlightenment]

2. Agreed.

Hell, as far as I know, I'm STILL grounded from my last serious teenage infraction (they said "for life"). I'm middle-aged now and asked my mom a couple of years ago if the grounding was still 'on'. She said yes . . .

[seabeyond]

16. that is funny. i never got a life one. but middle brother often did. lol. nt

[dysfunctional press]

3. exactly what i was thinking.

what a punk.

[Brickbat]

5. Yup.

[seabeyond]

12. i was typing the same. then seeing yours. and posting on facebook OWNING her behavior

hm....

[DevonRex]

15. Plus an extra month for doing this stupid FaceBook thing to begin with.

And take the electronics away for the duration. If she uses somebody else's electronics to log in, that's an added week for every violation.

[MineralMan]

4. Poor Tess....Poor baby.

Ground her until she's 18.

[Sherman A1]

6. If this was my daughter....

I would applaud her creative approach to this issue, congratulate her for her innovation and praise her for thinking outside the box.

I would then include her internet access, cell phone (if she has one) and telephone in her grounding for the 5 weeks, because in my world "grounded means grounded".

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Same here.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. Save Ferris! n/t

[mrcheerful]

8. I once grounded the SO's son for 8 weeks, first he was caught stealing from us

secondly he got caught smoking weed, he was 12 at the time. Odd thing about it is he went from a D- student to the 3rd highest grade earner in his class and won an award for out standing performance by a student, after getting grounded from everything except school related stuff. Sadly we moved down by his bio dad and the kid ended up dropping out of school at 17 because his bio told him he didn't need an education, he could make his riches by working carnivals setting up rides, according to dear old dad.

[Xithras]

9. Grounded...but still has access to Facebook?

When my teens get grounded, they don't even get to watch TV, much less play around on the Internet. Being grounded in my house is a miserable punishment.

[Lance_Boyle]

10. Grounded with internet access and a cell phone is not grounded.

Just like "go to your room!" doesn't work as a punishment when there's a mini-arcade and a stocked fridge in there.

[LiberalFighter]

11. Kids! They think they are not being treated fairly.

Hmph

She is not doing her case any good. Considering that the father wanted to ground her for 3 months she should thank her lucky stars it is only 5 weeks. But if she really wants to something to happen she should negotiate with her parents. First, admit what she did was wrong. Second, let them know calmly that the punishment is too much but agrees that she should be punished. Third, come up with a punishment that she believes is appropriate.

Personally, I would absolutely keep the no parties as part of the grounding for the full 5 weeks. But would let up on some of the other restrictions. But I really didn't see any other restrictions to let up on. In fact, I think she got off easy and should be able to do 5 weeks standing on her head.

[Brickbat]

13. There's already a group called "Tess Chapin should shut up and deal with her punishment."

Heh.

[seabeyond]

14. ah hahahah. that is funny. coolest. nt

[Edweird]

17. Meanwhile, Tess's parents ask "What's a 'facebook'"?

"That doesn't look like fun"

[seabeyond]

19. *sigh* like, parents dont know anything, rollin eyes. like, just totally clueless

like....

ya, right.

those kids are just soooo much smarter