This story is beyond horrible; I too feel awful for the parents and families from both sides. Of course this won't be the popular response, but I think it's wrong to set up petitions like this. I just don't believe children should be tried as adults because until they become of legal age "legally" they ARE children and "legally" they are entitled to the rights or protections provided to them because they aren't of legal age. Other than television or video games, children have no real concept of what the ramifications of their actions are. To try them as adults will also have no influence on other kids who have the potential to kill because kids aren't typically interested in these types of stories. If these boys really did what they are accused of doing then they are obviously in need of help. Entering a juvenile facility can provide some hope of rehabilitation that no adult facility could ever offer. As awful as this situation is, I think it's wrong to ask strangers who know little to nothing about a case to sign a petition insisting that two minors be tried as adults. The whole thing just feels like a public lynching to me. Let the people involved who really understand the case in it's entirety make the decisions they've been hired to make.

My much loved brother is blind to the fact that he has a dangerous dog. He's blinded by how much he loves it, and refuses to see how frightening it is. Ziggy has bitten his mother in law, who required surgery afterwards. No one else has been injured simply because no one will visit. It's a rottie. He's been untrainable and isn't even allowed at the vet any more. On the other side, I had a friend who had a gentle giant of a Rottie. My biggest problem witb him was all of the slobber, lol. One day, Thor was standing at the back patio door and whining, every muscle at alert. Steve went to see what he was upset about...he lived in a rural location and who knows what could be out there! It was a kitten. It was on the porch, rubbing back and forth on the glass right where Thor was standing! Steve opened the door and that kitten ran in and that was that! Thor adopted the kitten right then and there....or was it vice versa? Anyway, those two were inseperable from then on. That cat even went on walks with them, scampering all over the place, teasing the dog because it was on a leash and couldn't chase him. You should have seen them sleep together.

Kids' tastes, likes and dislikes change so much as they grow. What I did when mine were young was go with their favorite colors in solids that washed and wore easily and well. For example, with my son, I went with royal blue for his washable comforter and then added touches of red, green and yellow with his valance (over blackout shades), bedskirt and throw pillows. I then bought poster frames and 5x7" easel back frames that allowed me to quickly, easily and inexpensively change out his art as he grew. The 5x7" frames were perfect for turning "cool" greeting cards into works of art that he could place around his room wherever. We went from zoo animals to dinosaurs to whatever he had a big interest in next. I brought in a long 3-section bookcase and primary colored bins to corral most of his toys and let him display his books and whatever toys he chose on the rest of the shelves. As time went on, I let him pick out printed fabric in "cool guy designs" and made throw pillow covers for his bed. I guess what I'm saying is that I liked to keep things basic so that he could inexpensively and easily choose new art and accent pieces. It was his room, not his decorator mommy's room, he used to like telling his friends and he was always very proud of it. Lynn

I have 10 and 12 year old boys. This is a hard year to shop. Mine are done with toys. You might look up some Oklahoma t-shirts or sports teams, etc. Sometimes stuff like that is considered to be pretty cool if coming from the US. Size wise, I'd look at Youth large and Adult small-medium. Post cards would be neat. Are our toys like an 8 ball or slinkies or even Twister available in Germany? They are fun. Adding: Not sure of the availability of duct tape in Germany. It comes in all colors and sizes. My kids love it for all sorts of things including making duct tape wallets. This post was edited by adellabedella on Thu, Dec 6, 12 at 18:38