Indiana

"These kids today. What?s a mother to do when they misbehave? Spank ?em and you risk a visit by the social worker. Lock them in a cold, dark fruit cellar for a few weeks and ? well, you can?t do that either. But, somehow, the punishment needs to fit the crime. So when Beth, a single mom from Richmond, Va., told her 13-year-old boy to stop playing on his Xbox and do his chores, and the youngster?s ill-advised response was to break the vacuum cleaner, she decided to hit him where it hurts (and her resolve only hardened after she found porn site cookies on his computer). According to Gizmodo, Beth first put the boy?s Xbox up for sale on eBay. Then she password-protected his computer so he couldn?t get online. And finally, in the unkindest cut of all, she posted a Snoopy cartoon on his MySpace page, making him look decidedly uncool. ?Apparently I?m the meanest mom in the world, were his words,? she told Gizmodo. ?I?m a single mom. I can?t let them walk over me or I might never get up.? Cruel? A bit. Unusual? For now. Effective in reducing recidivism? Time will tell."