Why Pay More? Or at All?

Take a minute to read this story about a boy who got stuck in one of those arcade prize machines in England. I'll wait.In summary: A boy who couldn't win the Pooh bear he wanted from a claw machine squeezed up inside to get it, only to then realize he couldn't get out.

Now you may see a charming tale about a precocious youth, but I see everything that's wrong with civilization here. Why? Let's look at the facts:

He was playing a game in which he knew the rules. You pay your money, and then you get one chance to snag the prize. But he failed at it for long enough that his mom went to get him more money so he could keep trying (this is an issue all on it's own).

After having too much trouble with the legal method, he then decided to just steal the toy. He stormed the machine to take the bear by force, only to get caught in one of the many cells he'll occupy throughout life.

What is his parent's reaction? "He's good at solving problems. He obviously saw getting the teddy bear as a problem and getting inside the machine as the answer." They praise his attempted theft. His mom spins it to show his act as proof that her little snowflake is a great kid! But this doesn't even compare to the worst part:

They give him the bear. As they say, they give him the bear to cheer him up. Why does he need cheering up? Because he got himself into an awful situation while attempting to steal the bear! And his reward is the very thing he was trying to steal! Let's look at the life lesson here- If you can't get what you want legally, just try to steal it and they give it to you.

I may be overreacting, but here's an analogy: A guy wants to buy a car, but after several attempts his credit just doesn't check out. So after hours he breaks into the dealership, only to find himself stuck inside. When the authorities finally free him he's so distraught that the dealership gives him a car for free, praising his problem solving ability. Aren't we just creating a new career criminal by instituting this pattern?

I say this now, but I'm pretty certain my kids are going to end up taking all manner of things apart and climbing on things they aren't supposed to. But there's no way in hell I would reward misbehavior by giving them the thing they tried to steal! Now get off my lawn, you darn kids.