Ever Done Something REALLY Stupid?

We all do stupid things from time to time. It’s part of being human, and, some would say, part of being a teen. Hey, how else are we supposed to figure out the rules of the world unless we push them from time to time and find out just how much they bend? When I was in high school, I did all kinds of questionable things…things that today still fill me with a slight sense of horror and embarassment (and since my parents may read this blog, I’ll skip the gruesome details).

These are the very things I started thinking about when I read a story on Fox News’ website about two teen girls who are now facing expulsion because they found a way to create a “snow day” alert on their high school’s website. One problem? There was no snow. Another problem? Schools don’t much like having their computer systems tampered with, and the parents who were confused about whether school was open or closed that day weren’t thrilled, either.

So now these two girls, ages 16 and 17, are being charged with things like “deliquency by unauthorized use of a computer” and “records tampering,” and may even get booted out of school. And while I understand the school administration’s strong response, I can also see how easily, and how quickly, a prank can suddenly snowball out of control (no pun intended).

While it would be great if we all made the right choices every time, the reality is, sometimes we choose to do the really stupid thing. Sometimes, we do something without thinking it through and considering what the actual consequences of our actions might be.

Looking back at the stupid things I did, I wonder how my life might have been different had I gotten caught. Or is doing foolish things just a “right of passage” that every teen goes through?

Let me know what you think. Do you think the law is coming down too hard on these two girls? Have you ever done something that would have landed you in serious trouble had you been caught? Is doing stupid things just part of growing up?