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Please tell my teen what can happen if he keeps throwing his MacBook around

So, my fifteen year old thinks it's "perfectly fine" to throw his MacBook Pro on the sofa since its a padded surface, and it hasn't broken yet. He gets his taxpayer-funded MacBook through his public high school and it's insured, so he doesn't seem to care if he destroys it. Anyone care to tell him what damage he might cause by throwing it around like this? He says that it's fine to do because so far it still works. He doesn't want to listen to mom and dad telling him how stupid this is.


I'll make him read the responses. Please feel free also to tell him what you think about this as a tax-paying citizen...!


Thanks in advance...

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jun 5, 2013 9:10 PM

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7 replies

Jun 5, 2013 9:33 PM in response to MoikP

First, I think it is a tragedy that a child isn't listening to their parents.


Now, about "throwing" a computer around. This mac most likely has a spinning hard disk which could be seriously damaged when the macbook has sudden forces exerted on it. For instance you throw it on a couch it stops suddenly and the scanning arms could skip across the platters and damage them. Initially this may only cause a little bit of unusable storage space but ultimately this could render the hard drive inert. Not to mention there are other connections inside the mac that could come disconnected or broken if the mac bounces off and lands on the floor or in another position that would be completely detrimental to the computer.


Ultimately this is not good for the computer and your child should stop throwing things. You said your child was 15 years old, not 15 months old. Children 15 months old throw stuff around because they don't know any better they're learning how to use their muscles and at some point it becomes a game to them to all but play fetch with mom and dad.


Your child is showing a complete lack of respect and appreciation for the tax dollars of the taxpayers in your school district. Those working citizens work hard to earn their salaries for the school district to take their piece and give your child a NICE computer to do school work on. They didn't give up their tax dollars to have your child disrespect their decision to provide him with valuable technology that may provide him an invaluable advantage during his tenure as a student.


If this child was mine, I would revoke all privileges and only permit use of this school issued computer under my direct supervision. I would use a kensington lock and attach it to an unmovable object in my house and ensure that there wasn't anywhere for him to throw it. Next time he throws it I'd throw something of his and see how he liked it. Again, I would revoke ALL privileges until that CHILD decides to grow up and respect things that belong to other people.

Jun 6, 2013 6:10 AM in response to MoikP

Also... if your child isn't going to listen to you, why do you think he'll care what a few strangers post here? If you're lucky, he'll be working on a project and it'll get wiped out next time he decides to toss the machine.


And we don't know your personal situation. Kids can be pretty rebellious at that age. He might treat it okay otherwise and just does that in front of you to tick you off. After all... he clearly knows it bothers you since you've told him about it. It would be easy enough for him to just put it down properly in order to avoid being scolded over and over again... yet he keeps doing it. It's likely more than him just not respecting the property.

Jun 6, 2013 6:48 AM in response to MoikP

MoikP wrote:


He gets his taxpayer-funded MacBook through his public high school and it's insured, so he doesn't seem to care if he destroys it.


That's the root cause of the problem.


People only value something if they have to work or spend personal effort towards earning it.



It's the school's fault for giving a 15 year old a expensive portable computer in the first place instead of letting them use more durable desktop models in the classroom.


The school's mentality is unfortunately part of the socialist ideal where they think government and thus taxpayers should be supplying everything thinking it's a endless fountain of money. It's why when one now works a job there is little money left on the tab for other necessities as the government has decided to take first to give to kids to destroy at will.


Insurance is no fountain of money neither, as soon as a claim is made they charge more the next time around to make up for it on top of their operating expenses.



The only outcome I see here is the kid will destroy the machine and eventually the school will not provide another which the kid will complain to you that they need a computer for class.


I then suggest you make them earn it, in fact you should be starting that now so they build up a stored allowance which will go towards a new machine and assign them more work to pay it off when they get the new machine. Don't excuse the debt neither, even though it might seem like less work for you, the kid needs to learn the value of things and some things are not treated in a disposable manner.


You can't verbalize this with them, they have to actually learn it through personal experience, in which the conditions you control to arrive at the desired outcome.

Jun 6, 2013 7:48 AM in response to MoikP

Throwing a computer is a stupid thing to do, period. Your son is just being an irresponsible teenager, and logic is not always the best approach to handling that sort of thing. Certainly, admonishment from an anonymous stranger online will do no good.


You are in control. If he throws it after you have told him not to, take it away. If he needs it for homework, chain it to a desk with a locking cable, so he can't use it anywhere else while it's at home. If he persists in abusing it to the point that he breaks it, make him work a job to pay the school back. (Insurance is irrelevant, make it a donation to the school if necessary.)

Jun 6, 2013 8:00 AM in response to MoikP

Contact the school administration. If there isn't already a policy in place for abusing computers this should certainly get the ball rolling on starting one. In my opinion the computer should be taken away from him and if the school won't take any action you certain can and should.

Please tell my teen what can happen if he keeps throwing his MacBook around

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