We've heard of some "creative" parental punishments in our day, but the lengths two Arizona parents recently went to teach their son a lesson was so extreme, it's now making national headlines. According to Fox 10, 14-year-old Angel Martinez landed in some hot water after taking his parents' Range Rover out for a joyride — without their permission and (most of all) without a license. Yikes. Now, they're making sure he never does it again … by giving away every single thing that was in his bedroom.
To hear Angel tell the story, it all happened rather innocently.
Speaking with a reporter from Fox 10, he insisted he meant no harm.
"I just wanted to drive but I don't have a license so I just took it," the teen shared. "I can wash the car, and I was like I don't have anything to dry it, so I'm gonna take it for one spin until it dries."
But aside from not having a license to drive, the teen didn't exactly take it for a slow crawl through the neighborhood.
Apparently, taking it for a "spin" to dry it off translates to whipping through the neighborhood at such a high rate of speed that neighbors were alarmed.
Meanwhile, Angel's parents were out celebrating their anniversary in Las Vegas, and were blissfully unaware of what was taking place back in their North Phoenix neighborhood. In fact, they only found out about it after Phoenix Police gave them a call.
As you might imagine, the parents were livid.
Especially because this wasn't the first time that they got a call from the police department about Angel's behavior.
So, as soon as the parents returned to their home, they decided to lay down the law — in a big way.
The next day, they put everything in his bedroom on the street.
That's right — we're talking clothes, TV, and even bedroom furniture. Every single thing from the teen's room is up for grabs.
"Today, his room is 100% empty, and we're giving all his stuff away," Angel's father, Ramon Martinez, told Fox.
And that's not all.
The teen was also forced to sit outside with a sign, informing neighbors of why it was all being given away.
"Sorry I stole my parent's car and was speeding," the sign read.
Yep, pretty humiliating.
But if you thought that passersby would be hesitant to snag Angel's belongings, you'd be wrong. According to Fox, the teen's possessions "went as fast as the Range Rover he was driving."
His dad hopes the teen has learned his lesson, even if it was only after some tough love.
He also added that he made his son sit outside with a sign "mostly to apologize" to the community.
"We're neighbors as well," said Ramon. "He could've run someone over. Something really bad could've happened."
Now that the story has made headlines, people have been weighing in all over social media.
Many people applauded the Martinezes on "tough love" done right.
"Great job parents," one person wrote. "Parenting is hard. Taking away his comfort might make him think twice before doing something so dangerous and reckless. They paid for his things so they can give them away."
"Yes I agree with the parents this could save his life down the road," another person said.
"Good, the kid should know how it will feel sitting in juvenile jail, 3 hots and a cot," added someone else.
But not everyone agreed. In fact, a lot of people were horrified by the punishment.
Especially after learning that his parents intend to have him sleep on the floor or the couch for the foreseeable future.
"I'm all for tough parenting BUT this is more the parents punishing themselves than the kid," one person commented. "THEY paid for all of it and are basically just shooting themselves in the foot when they have to buy more stuff later on. The kid didn't lose anything here other than sleeping on the floor."
"I understand giving away his extra stuff, but giving away furniture is stupid. Is he going to sleep on a floor until he is 18?" another person asked. "More chores for neighbors, community volunteering and don't let him get his license when he is eligible would have been more productive. Make him wait another 6 months to a year."
"That was a bit much," someone else commented. "I would have taken everything out of his room and have him 'earn' it back … piece by piece."
Others questioned whether anyone was watching their son to begin with — because if he was home alone, then perhaps they are to blame after all.
Regardless of what the public thinks, it seems the Martinez parents feel pretty confident of their decision.
And, perhaps the most shocking part of all? Angel agrees with it, too. (Go figure!)
"It's kind of weird," he told the news station, "but I think it's a fair punishment."
Well, would you look at that.
