Boy floated off in Helium Balloon - Good Parenting?? Great HOAX?
By Bearballew
@Bearballew (1148)
United States
October 15, 2009 7:41pm CST
I watched this live on local TV. Apparently the balloon floated overhead near my home. Now, I didn't see the balloon, but I did see all the local news covering it live and heard it on the radio. Did it show live where you are?
Anyway... so it turns out that the boy was hiding in a box in the attic. For hours I didn't know that he wasn't in the balloon and hadn't fallen 15,000 feet to his death..for hours I was praying for him to be found (knowing certainly that he was dead)and for his parents and the poor brother that saw him float away.
It made me hug my kids tighter and I started thinking.... were the parents at fault for NOT gaurding the balloon while it filled with helium? Why weren't they out there ... just .. out there?
It made me think about all the times I've been doing laundry or computer work or SOMETHING else that I wasn't watching where my kids wandered off to. I know every parent starts second guessing themselves in times of tragedy, usually at the tragedy of others.
Thankfully, this might all be a hoax.
How about you? Got any parent guilt? Think Social Services where be calling the family tomorrow? Think they'll be on the TOday show and Good Morning AMerica tomorrow? Think it's all a hoax?
3 people like this
8 responses
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
16 Oct 09
I’m in Australia and I did hear this story on the new but by the time I heard it only about an hour went by and then they announced that he’d been found. I am not so sure that this was a hoax; I think the parents were genuinely terrified that the kid had gone inside the balloon. I am a parent and I know it is easy to criticise other mums and dads when things like this happen but you know, we are not all perfect and it can take a split second for something to go terribly wrong.
My brother and sister in law lost their little two year old years ago. He was being taken care of by his dad and so happen the father was so exhausted from work that he fell asleep and the little one wondered outside to the pool, leaned in to retrieve his ball and fell in and inevitably drowned. Some may say there was no supervision but if you knew these parents, they are the most attentive you can meet and yet…
I am thankful that this little boy was found safe and sound although the may deserve some time out for a while!
1 person likes this
@Bearballew (1148)
• United States
18 Oct 09
Yes I agree with you that it is hard to watch every little thing they do. My only point in this matter is that this wasn't an ordinary day, even for storm chasers. (PS. they skies wer clear and beautiful in Colorado that day!) They were launching a 20 foot by 5 foot helium balloon. They counted down as a family 3 -2 (No one notices Falcon isn't there???) 1 - oh no! They video taped it and everything. Then one fo their first evmergency calls is to Channel 9 news??? What?? Who would you call if your kid went missing? Who has the TV station number handy like that?
Just too much weirdness to say it was an accident.
The sherrif here has interviewed them again and talking to the DA about possible charges that can be filed against them.
The truth alwasy comes out...
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
18 Oct 09
I watched it on the news last night and the little boy arose some suspicion when he made a comment along the lines of, "We did it for a show..." You are right in regards to the first call being to the TV station...It does sound strange, that's true. I gave it a little more thought and after watching the news I thought, "Uhmmm...Something is not right here..."
I agree, the truth almost always comes out...
1 person likes this
@Bearballew (1148)
• United States
19 Oct 09
It's a HOAX! :*) They TOTALLY said it on the news today! ha ha... They are getting slapped with lots of fines and charges. Child protective services are coming in to investigate. Another thing I thought was.. why aren't a 10, 8 and 6 year old in school? It hapened in the middle of the day and tehre was no school holiday that day!
Also, they called the FAA first, then Channel 9 THEN 911! Seems they should have written down their plan first!
LOL!
1 person likes this
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
16 Oct 09
Whatever it was, I am really glad no one got hurt. I also support the idea that parents should be responsible for what happened. Those kinds of stuff should not be accessed by their children. I heard they were storm-chasers so maybe that is the reason why their child is as adventurous. but it should really be their responsibility to explain to the child the danger their hobby has..
1 person likes this
@Bearballew (1148)
• United States
22 Oct 09
I JUST heard a clip where the wife said that she and her husband believe that THEY are decendants of aliens!! Oh my groin!!!!! well, that explains why they think the way they do. Little kids believe anything their parents tell them. Poor things. I hope they all get some help. You know that there will be another stunt liek this. People like the Heenes feed off of this. I'd be watching them closely. No more homemade balloons!! Or anything dangerous. You're right!
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
17 Oct 09
Well, when I first heard about this, I was a little scared and hoping that the Boy would be found safe, but then the more I heard and read about it, I began to wonder. Pretty interesting that this family was on a Reality Show twice, and did something like this. When the boy said that he knew where his brother was, that made it more suspicious for sure. And why did they not Call 911 first? I guess only time will tell what the real plot on this was for sure.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
16 Oct 09
Yes, I had it on here in Florida and I was so fearful for this little boy. I don't think it was a hoax though. Young children can't keep track of a lie very well and there were investigators at the home talking to everyone. I also don't believe that you can watch your children every second. This family is odd to say the least. They are storm chasers and take the kids with them so it's only natural that they would be interested in the big silver contraption their father made and had been testing. When you get a couple of boys together they're going to touch things they're not supposed to and I'm certain that the others were also messing with the balloon.
@Bearballew (1148)
• United States
17 Oct 09
Very true. I think in this case though, especially if you know there could be possible danger (The Dad said he already saw the boy get into the box once and yelled at him) you stick around to make sure they don't touch it. Or remove their little botoms from teh temptation.
I'm glad he's ok.
I'm also wondering how a 6 year old BOY went all through lunch and snack time 'till dinner time without wanting something to eat? ... things that make you go ..hmmmmm
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
16 Oct 09
That was crazy! Yes..It was televised here as they went on a hunt for the baloon. I think this is an extreme case but your right that we all get a little caught up in what we are doing and think the kids are "safe" but there is always the chance of them wandering off a little. I don't know if it's a hoax or not. I've never lost track of mine to that extent..lol..I would say that they will be on the Morning Show..lol
1 person likes this
@Bearballew (1148)
• United States
18 Oct 09
They TOTALLY WERE on the Today Show!!! and CNN the night before!
I lost our eldest when I was pregnant. We lost him at an amusement park. My best friend and I were strapping her baby in the stroller. We were in the arcade and he slipped away. We were giving a description to the police when he waltzed up to us. "I wasn't lost. I went looking for Daddy." He said. I told him that if we don't know where he is, he's lost!
@LetranKnight25 (33117)
• Philippines
16 Oct 09
Hello Bearballew,
I Have seen this in Yahoo news and then saw a bit on CNN. i do believe that it was still the parents fault because they didn't made any last minute check ups on the balloon before they floated it away, that one good day turned out to be almost disastrous but a bit of shame since it created a controversy. and why would they make a balloon, aren't they aware that they're on a crisis and spending budget on that purely unthinkable.
I Have seen this in Yahoo news and then saw a bit on CNN. i do believe that it was still the parents fault because they didn't made any last minute check ups on the balloon before they floated it away, that one good day turned out to be almost disastrous but a bit of shame since it created a controversy. and why would they make a balloon, aren't they aware that they're on a crisis and spending budget on that purely unthinkable. @Bearballew (1148)
• United States
22 Oct 09
Yes. I heard that Helium is VERY expensive to use and that they had to use a LOT to fill a 20 foot by 5 foot balloon.
Also, with or WITHOUT a boy in the basket, they launched it into wind patterns that would go near Denver International Airport....that right there is a Federal violation to mess with airtraffic. What were they thinking? That the FFA would be like, "Oh it was a good idea, no worries.... no charges..."
@cher913 (25781)
• Canada
16 Oct 09
i didnt catch much of the story before i left for work this morning but i heard the boy wasnt even in the balloon! that he was hiding in the attic the whole time? it appears to me that the parents are to blame in this fiasco. sure i am not on my kids all the time now (they are 12 and 16) but when they were younger, i wanted to know where they were all the time!
