Missing Purdue Student/Missing boy scout

Parent Cafe
1

<p>19 year old Wade Steffey found electrocuted over two months after he was reported missing. My condolences to the family and those who have waited, wondering. Also reports that the 12-year old boy scout has been found (not yet confirmed)</p>

<p>Purdue student: <a href=“News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com”>News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com;

<p>Boy Scout: <a href=“News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com”>News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com;

2

<p>I’m so glad the boy scount was found. I feel bad for the family of the college student. I don’t understand why the door to utility room wasn’t locked.</p>

3

<p>okay…wow…the boyscout…I have different stories about what happened-</p>

<p>the boy just decided it appears to go for a a walk alone…totally against everything boy scouts teach</p>

<p>I am sorry, but I am annoyed that this kid gets all this “wow” what a good job to survive for 4 days, you used your Boy scout training ,while he created the mess himself out of a choice</p>

<p>I am glad he was found, but unless others learn that you may not always be found if you decide to do something stupid, this will happen again</p>

<p>As well, EVERY kid in the woods should have a whistle with them at all times…even when they are partnered up…easier to blow a whistle than to scream or shout</p>

4

<p>With all do respect, the kid has Attention Deficit Disorder. He’s prone to wandering off on his own because he has a mental disorder, not because he’s irresponsible.</p>

<p>I am annoyed that you would be so insensitive.</p>

5

<p>so if you have ADD, you can control yourself? </p>

<p>wow, I am surpised you have such an insensativity to the millions with ADD.</p>

<p>And if he does have a disorder, that the adults there should have been watchfull at all time</p>

<p>ADD is not a “mental disorder” in the way you refer</p>

<p>And I am annoyed…they bragged about how trained he was, and aware, and could take care of himself, then they say, well he wandered off because he has ADD, something that affects millions who can control how they act</p>

<p>this is one of those incidents that it wasn’t an “accident”</p>

<p>And I have more respect for people that have ADD knowing they can behave, control themselves to a degree, etc.</p>

<p>As well, as a girl scout troop leader for years, we wouldn’t let someone “sleep in” unless they were ill or hurt, that is just spoiling a kid</p>

<p>Being part of a troop is participating in all the troop does, so seems the adults in this didn’t show good scout leadership</p>

<p>Whenever we camped out, we had whistles, we had buddies, if there was someone with “stuff” we had TWO adults mindful of them at all times, along with an older girl scout</p>

<p>This wasn’t a 5 year old, it was a middle school kid who knew the rules</p>

<p>Sorry if that annoys you that I am raising these concerns, but if a person doesn’t and this kid is rewarded for taking off, well, what does that teach?</p>

<p>and if the boy had special needs, then the adults blew it by not wbe watchful</p>

6

<p>I cannot fathom the devastation suffered by the Purdue student’s parents. It is a freak accident. However, it should never have been possible for a student to enter a high voltage area by accident. How it was unlocked, I don’t know but this could have been unavoidable and adds to the grief. I must say that the good news is that they have closure that their son was found and they have him and know what happened to him. But the loss is unspeakable. </p>

<p>As far as the boyscout, in due respect citygirlsmom, we really do not know the entire circumstances with this boy. All kids are different. While it seems logical and responsible that a boy not wander off in this manner, we don’t know how it came to pass and also that some kids do not think or act in the normal ways we would expect. It doesn’t sound like a kid who was trying to get into trouble, but one who may not have had the smarts or wherewithall to not find himeself in this predicament. I haven’t read that he has ADD, but if he does, that could be a big factor. I can’t see blaming him when we don’t know much about him or the circumstances. If it were someone you knew or your own kid who thinks/acts differently, who consciously took some risks, that’s another thing. But not all kids are like some more “normal thinkers” or more normal behavior types. I don’t think we can assume he chose to make poor choices with the same manner of thinking that someone like you or I or some kids you know would have acted or thought to do.</p>

<p>I agree, however, that the supervision was not up to snuff. Though sometimes even with good supervision, stuff happens. If this boy had issues, the more reason to keep a close eye or to discover him missing within minutes when he’d be more easily found. I don’t truly know the situation.</p>

7

<p>A) He’s a 12-year-old kid. He’s not some super-awesome Eagle Scout, he’s likely been involved in actual BSA activities for under a year. His “scouting skills” are merely sensationalized by the media. So blame the media.</p>

<p>B) ADD is a “mental disorder” in the way I refer. A disorder which causes irregular functioning of certain parts of the brain.</p>

<p>C) People with ADD can, and often are, treated effectively, but just because a person is treated with ADD does not mean he is symptom free. Ages 6-12 are when the symptoms are most noticeable, symptoms is impulsivity (ie., I dunno, wandering off on a whim).</p>

<p>D) Yes, the adults should have been more watchful. Blame the adults.</p>

<p>Basically, yes, he created this mess out of a choice, but it was a choice made by a 12 year old with a mental disorder, not because he was being stupid (as you implied). Lay off him.</p>

8

<p>He was 12, he TOOK OFF FOR AN ADVENTURE.</p>

<p>He wandered</p>

<p>off with his mess kit, some food…was that impulsive…it was more of a plan</p>

<p>I am sorry, but a 12 year old knows, even one with ADD and getting treatment, generaly knows not to take off, run into the street, etc.</p>

<p>And a hundred people spent days looking for him, </p>

<p>“Michael told his father he slept in tree branches during the night, drank river water and prayed he wouldn’t get sick. He said he got homesick because some of his closest friends had not gone on the camping trip, so he planned to walk to a highway and hitchhike to his home in Greensboro, North Carolina.”
<a href=“http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/03/20/missing.scout/index.html[/url]”>http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/03/20/missing.scout/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>be mad at me, but this did not have to happen, lots of “mistakes” were made, choices made and a lesson should be learned</p>

<p>Of courese kids with ADD can go camping, of course people with special needs can go camping…that is not my point</p>

<p>THis kid choice to take off, causing an extreme amount of heartache, expense, etc…and he knew exactly what he was doing…and if he was “impulsive” ( maybe mom didn’t share that?) those adults, all 7 of them blew it by not paying attention, and if he was in control and made that choice to take off…then he should publicaly appolgize and thank all those hundreds and hundreds of people that spent their time looking for him</p>

10

<p>He likely made this choice due to a mental disorder. You just aren’t getting it. Have you ever actually met a young person trying to cope with ADD? I’d venture a guess that you haven’t.</p>

11

<p>Perhaps I’m overly sensitive here, because the boy’s father has been a friend of my husband’s for some 30 years, but I think it’s incredibly unkind to offer the kind of ugly speculation that we’re being treated to here based on nothing more than some probably not entirely accurate press accounts of what happened. Did the boy make a mistake? Of course, he did. All kids do. Was it probably a costlier mistake than he might have envisioned? I’m betting it was. </p>

<p>May you never go through what this boy’s family and friends have gone through this week.</p>

12

<p>^^ I agree with nceph. All kids make bad decisions at one point or another. Their thinking is hardly ever as rational (regarding risk taking) as that of adults. Didn’t someone say that gene doen’t kick in until age 24 or something?</p>

<p>Give the kid a break. He made a mistake and could have lost his life. As a parent of 2 boys who have made poor decisions of their own a few times, I say forgive the act and rejoice that he is alive.</p>

13

<p>This was was a HUGE mistake.</p>

<p>GIve the kid a break from running away for no real reason, sneaking away?..I am not saying punish him, but his choices could have gotten him or someone else really hurt…and to treat him as some sort of amazing kid becuase he survived is wrong…he was darn lucky</p>

<p>I would be glad he was alive, but sure, lets all just say, ahhhh, poor kid…</p>

<p>Don’t worry the people that gave of their time, resources, $$, the police, everyone who went looking for this kid who, gee was sooo tired he couldn’t hike with the group, but suddenly was all better so he could hike to his friends</p>

<p>This kid was not stupid, he had a plan, a poor one</p>

<p>And the quotes were from his father…</p>

<p>“Mistake”- this was not a “mistake” is was a planned event, and he knew what he was doing</p>

<p>But this, oh gee, poor kid, well you know what, poor families who loved ones went hunting, for people who sacraficed their own time</p>

<p>Of course they should have looked for the boy, I am not saying not to, i am saying, when kids do stupid things ON PURPOSE, we shouldn’t be all, gee, nevermind, lets go party…</p>

<p>His actions and choices should be lessons for other kids…his selfishness should not be ignored while his survival actions appaulded</p>

<p>He ows a lot of people HUGE apologies…</p>

<p>Call me harsh, but this is a lesson for other kids…as it should be</p>