The allegedly hazardous driver shielded himself from Chris Lundstrom’s video camera, before things took a turn for the worse, in this still from the YouTube posting. (WWW.YOUTUBE.COM)

It’s a parent’s nightmare – or at least it should be.
How would you react if you saw your son featured on a video that had gone viral of him being scolded by a Napa resident for allegedly driving recklessly with a carload of friends through a neighborhood en route to school? (And apparently this had not been the first time.)
Such is the case of an unnamed 17-year-old featured in a confrontation with Napa resident who posted the video which apparently has now been viewed from Lakeport to London.
Here are a few possible reactions:

The modern, litigious parent: Get an attorney. Sue the parent who took the video. Force YouTube to remove it. Get the lad into therapy for the drama he has experienced. Take all the boys sailing to relieve stress.

The concerned, nurturing parent: Seek a constructive dialogue with the child. Show videos of the dangers of reckless teenage driving. Call and apologize to the neighbor on your child’s behalf but give the youth one more chance.

My father’s approach: OK, he did not believe in corporal punishment, but it would not be pretty. I would be nailed for the trifecta: speeding and running stop signs, having friends in the car illegally and mouthing off to an adult who, based on the information in the story, had every right to scold me. As a result, the car would be gone. The license would be gone, and the only reason I would still be around is so he could frog-march me to that man’s house to apologize to him in person as well as to each of the neighbors.

But maybe that would be too harsh by today’s standards. Other options?

Here’s a link to the original story which appeared in the Sonoma Index-Tribune.

– Paul Gullixson