Mom lists 9-year-old on “Casual Encounters”

Hard to believe, but this Long Island mother sought revenge on her daughter’s 4th-grade classmate. The girls got into a fight and weren’t speaking, so Margery Tannenbaum decided to get even with the 9-year-old neighbor girl.

Tannenbaum, a 40-year-old social worker, took out an ad on Craigslist under “Casual Encounters.” Using the email address of  “lacethong23@…” she wrote “I need a little affection. . .I’m blond, I’m cute and I’ll be waiting.” Those who responded were given the girl’s first name and home phone number.

Craigslist by Matthew Oliphant

The child’s mother, fortunately, answered all the calls, up to 22 in one day. Once reported to the police, Tannenbaum was charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. She has pleaded not guilty and the case will be set for trial. 

Tannenbaum later changed her plea to guilty and in January, 2011 was sentenced to one year of probation, psychiatric counseling, 35 community service hours and no contact with the victim.

This sounds similar to the Megan Meier-Lori Drew case of 2008-2009. Drew created a fake profile of a 16-year-old boy who befriended 13-year-old Megan. Once Drew realized that Megan wasn’t bad-mouthing her daughter on MySpace, she ended Josh’s relationship with Megan by telling her the world would be better off without her. Shortly thereafter, Megan committed suicide.

What do you think about adults acting like this? Some parents would argue that they’re only protecting their own children. Is there a line that even parents shouldn’t cross when trying to defend or protect their own? Should Margery Tannenbaum, if found guilty, be given any jail or prison time? Why or why not?