FORT WAYNE, INDIANA – A frustrated mom has given her wayward teenage son the ultimate punishment: public humiliation.
The 14-year-old was forced to stand on a busy street for two hours with a massive sign hanging around his neck, which read, “I lie, I steal, I sell drugs, I don’t follow the law.”
Dynesha Lax, of Fort Wayne, said the punishments handed out to her unruly son weren’t strong enough to get him to stop so she had no choice but to take this drastic action.
“I decided he broke the law and they only gave him a few hours community service so I decided that we were going to wear a sign that says you looking for attention, we’re going to get you attention,” Lax told KLTV.
While her son, who has already been convicted of multiple felonies, stood on Broadway Street, Lax explained she felt the court system had done little to get her son to change his ways.
“What else more can I do?” said Lax. “They put him on probation and when they did probation they were quick to talk about the 300 some dollars you have to pay in fees, but nobody’s trying to help me fix my son.”
Passing motorists, though, were shocked by her tough love approach and alerted Fort Wayne Police. Officers said Lax was completely within her rights to make her son stand on the side of the street. It may be unconventional, but it’s not illegal.
“I’m hoping that having him out here is going to make it sink in,” said Lax. “It wasn’t for it to be a joke or anything funny. He just had to stand out here two hours and suddenly it blew up. Then again they’ve got their way of parenting and I’ve got mine. My object is to save my son.”