Money and Thrill Seeking

To what kind of danger should you expose your child(ren)?

And how much should the goals excuse the jeopardy?

Consider U.S. Army recruits, father and son Gary J. and Joseph M. Rankins. Father G couldn't find a job so the 40-year-old re-upped after a bunch of years and then decided "he wanted to spend more time with his son, 19 ," who was now living with the divorced wife/mother and was only bored with his lot in life.

Similarly, money for college was the motivation for 18-year-old Gabrielle Alejandrino to take up a gun. And after considering how highly he esteemed her thought process, her father Mario joined with his only daughter in preparing to possibly be shipped into some hot zones. As dad explains of their coming new life: ""A new life is ahead of us. Luckily, we're doing it together."

Not money-motivated, but certainly with the sense of sharing excitement, Lewis Coleman gave his son a cigarette. And thus he was busted for child endangerment, even though he claimed he just didn't want his kid playing with a lighter when setting off celebratory fireworks.

Money. Thrills. Danger. Just some of the ingredients of daddy stew ladled out to kids.