"We were just contacted by the parents of his female classmate, "Chasey," who informed us that Ben and several other boys have been making obscene phone calls to their daughter. Ben has apparently been the ringleader. They recorded some of the calls, and I am absolutely appalled by the filth he unleashed on her. He has been made to apologize to Chasey and has lost his phone for the foreseeable future."
"But there is no magical punishment that is going to teach him the most important lesson here, which is that he can't be treating girls at his school or anyone else this way. Since Ben is still claiming what he did was no big deal, it seems he hasn't gotten that point yet. And just losing his phone won't change what he thinks about women or make him less mired in our misogynistic culture."
A 13-year-old boy led a group of classmates in making obscene phone calls to a female peer, recordings confirmed, and he apologized and lost his phone. The parents disagree on the adequacy of punishment, with one parent wanting stronger consequences. Grounding and phone removal are reasonable but insufficient on their own. The central need is to teach the boy that harassing girls is unacceptable and to change his attitudes about women. Sustained, direct conversations about harassment, abuse, misogyny, and accountability are necessary, ideally involving both parents when possible.
Read at Slate Magazine
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