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.

Craigslist by Matthew Oliphant (Flickr)

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.

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 will be set for trial unless she enters a guilty plea.

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. [For more on Megan's case, see:  http://askthejudge.info/fatal-abuse-of-the-internet-by-the-parents/165/ ]

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?

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