In my new attitude of trying to be  positive, I have been trying very hard not to make judgments about other people’s actions.  However, I am finding it very hard to not judge the Heene Family (balloon boy’s family).  First the parents have the whole country convinced that their very young son is flying across the sky in a saucer shaped balloon.  They even made a tape to make it look like an accident.  They put their three young sons in the position of having to lie on live TV about what really happened. I have a feeling that after the youngest slipped  up in a live interview and let it out that this may have been a hoax, that the father may have been very rough on him. I saw the father on wife swap and have read about him and the impression I have is that he has a volatile temper. It is possible that he may have put so much pressure on the little boy that slipped up in the interview that he became nervous and that is why he threw up twice on live TV.

Today, the authorities in the area the Heene’s live in announced that they will be filing charges against the parents, and that Child Protective Services has been notified and will most likely start their own investigation.  I am sure when these parents were planning their hoax, they did not anticipate the consequences that they now have.Which is a shame because, their children are suffering consequences for their parent’s poor judgment.

There is another innocent party who is suffering consequences of this hoax. The people whose wheat field the balloon landed in.  I read something today,that the type of wheat that was being grown there is one that can only be harvested once every two years.  It was due to be harvested this year. By the time the balloon landed in the field, and the rescue vehicles that had been chasing it went into the field, a significant portion if not the majority of the wheat was destroyed.  What kind of financial impact is this going to have on that farming family?

I know the authorities have talked about having the Heene’s foot the bill for the rescue operation.  But what about making them compensate the family whose wheat was destroyed?  What should be done about them?  The truth is I doubt the Heene’s have the money to pay either parties.

There is not a single parent anywhere that can say they are perfect,or that they have not made their fair share of mistakes.  I know I have made too many to count.  However, the blatant irresponsibility shown by these two parents is rather huge, and they managed to compound it by lying on national TV and having their children lie a well.

It is not my place to decide what type of punishment the parents deserve, nor do I want to.  I just wish in all their planning for their hoax, that they had taken the time to see what the impact on their children would be.  As well as thinking about any third party consequences.