Boy,4, drives great-grandpa's car to get candy

[Still Waters]

Children will often do anything for sweets, but one American boy has taken his desire for confectionery to the extreme.

Jenna Swenson's four-year-old son Sebastian stole his great-grandfather's keys, jumped into his SUV and drove more than a mile during rush-hour to a petrol station in the hope of picking up something sweet.

Instead, he was greeted by police - much to his family's relief.

https://news.sky.com/story/boy-4-steals-great-grandfathers-car-on-mission-to-buy-sweets-11741999

[+and-then]

Kids in the states that grew up on farms usually learned to drive before they started first grade.  Farms need every hand to be busy

[+susieice]

My oldest son lives in Blaine, Minnesota. I talked to them this morning as it's their anniversary but they were going away for the weekend. I'll have to ask them about this kid when they get back. All the things he hit! He couldn't have reached the gas pedal in an SUV and looked out the window at the same time!

[Bendy Demon]

A week or two in house arrest and being kept busy with chores, no tv or going outside to play and forcing him to ask permission to do ANYTHING should be enough to cure him of his stupidity then the parents need a stern lesson in keeping the keys where they can't be found by little hands.

Kid is too old to be this stupid.

[Sir Smoke aLot]

Sebastian is very lucky boy.

[Bendy Demon]

I suppose I should apologize..when I read articles like this, feeling a sense of amusement is not necessarily my first reaction.

I question the parents for not teaching the child respect and a sense of responsibility and while I am full well aware that the kid is four, I just don't think it is a completely valid excuse for doing something stupid. I blame the parents for not being observant of their child's mentality enough to realize that he may have a proclivity for doing something dangerous and not keeping things out of his reach.

So..don't misunderstand me..I am glad the kid was not hurt and did not create a situation where others could be hurt too.

However I still think that grounding the kid for a week or two and teaching him the value of asking permission to do anything as well as teaching him to value other peoples property is very much in order.

[skliss]

When my nephews were 4 and 3, respectively, my sister looked out the kitchen window and saw them in her car trying to put the keys in the ignition. She raced out there, tore open the drivers door and the 3 year old yelled "Keith's drivin'!! I'm just goin' for a ride!!" Both were punished. Good thing she saw them, the car was at the top of their steep driveway. She did say "At least they both had put on their seatbelts, I guess that's something!" Lol!