OMG! 6 yr flying alone in ballon

[sfa]

Yeah, I think someone needs to question the older brother a bit more. He was the one who said he saw his little brother climb in the box and later said he saw him fall out (what, and the 1,000,000 people watching it on t.v. missed that?). Seems to me he knew the whole time that little brother wasn't in there.

Sarah

[OakLeaf]

Someone needs to question the deputies who searched the house the first time.

[pfunk12]

Apparently, the family was interviewed last night on the Larry King Live show. The boy was asked if he heard his family calling him when he was hiding. He said, "Yes." The dad said, "You did?!" The mom said, "You did?!" When he was asked why he didn't come out, he said, "Because you said...it...was for a show."

There are so many questions that need to be answered.

[OakLeaf]

There are so many questions that need to be answered.

I don't see any. (Other than, as I said, why the cops didn't find the kid the first time they searched the house.)

Kids pull stunts like that all the time. Didn't you ever hide from your parents? Lie to them? Didn't you ever once have a sibling or friend as an accomplice?

Sure, they should both be punished, but the expense of calling out the National Guard and all the news networks - and the fact that that might happen - is really beyond the scope of a child's understanding.

[pfunk12]

Oak - I think the question that everyone is asking is if the whole thing was a hoax. A publicity stunt for the father/parents/family. Based on what they are learning, the main question is - was this whole thing set up?

[Zen]

My mother once had the MP's out looking for me when I was asleep on the floor behind the sofa

[pfunk12]

Kids pull stunts like that all the time. Didn't you ever hide from your parents? Lie to them? Didn't you ever once have a sibling or friend as an accomplice?

Oh, Oak...forgot to respond to your questions. No. No and no. I was an angel.

[tulip]

When he was asked why he didn't come out, he said, "Because you said...it...was for a show."

There are so many questions that need to be answered.

That is so sad--making your kid lie so that you can get publicity. People are sick.

[7rider]

That is so sad--making your kid lie so that you can get publicity. People are sick.

Okay.
I wasn't going to jump into topical conversations.
But I don't buy that the parents coerced the kid into doing anything.
The family had been on reality shows (or show) in the past. They have this bizarro balloon. Maybe the balloon was for an upcoming event (i.e., show) of some kind. I don't doubt that 6 y.o's get confused about what a "show" is if you don't provide the context (um...balloon show, or t.v. show? Is an interview with a news reporter a "show"?).
Big bro' could have seen little bro playing near balloon. Ballon takes off. Little bro' not around. Big bro does the math -- 2 + 2 and comes up with 5.
The whole situation was a cluster**** but I don't think it was sinister.
But, maybe I'm just dumb.

[pfunk12]

Please believe me when I say I am not obsessed about this story. I didn't even know it was happening until I read about it on TE late yesterday! But based on what little I do know, it is very strange and fishy. I just read that as soon as the balloon went up in the air, the father called the local tv station to ask them to send their traffic helicopter in pursuit. Okay...if I thought that one of my girls was in our hot air balloon that is tethered in my backyard......, I would dial 9-1-1 and the last thing I would be thinking is to call NBC4 to ask them to send their traffic helicopter after my balloon. It's just bizarre.

[Possegal]

What puzzles me is that the story was that the big brother told them that he saw the kid get into the balloon and release the tether. Yet we now see video the family took, and in the video Dad is there and he releases the tether of the balloon. So if I'm the Dad and the brother says this - I'm saying, no I was the one that released the balloon, we have it on tape. That's what puzzles me about it. Plus, I'm a cynic at heart.